Another Old Standby

Back when I lived in Santa Fe, I had the great good pleasure of having The Best Neighbors Ever.  And, yes, by those capital letters, I mean to say that it's official.  They are the best.  Ever.  Among the many things that Doug and Jenni did to support, entertain, counsel, and just all around make us feel good, they also had us over for dinner.  And since you know that the most direct route to my heart is through my stomach, I thought it was very cool that our neighbors took it upon themselves to feed us every once in a while.

And one evening Jenni whipped up some of her Curried Red Lentils.  I immediately requested the recipe, and I've been making this lovely, simple dish once every few months ever since.  Since Jenni was so cheerfully willing to part with the How-To, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I shared it with you here.

In order to keep this recipe as UN-time-consuming as possible, here's what you can do the night before.

--Cook enough rice to yield 2 or 3 cups (with, as Jenni suggested, but I've never been willing to spring for it, a pinch of saffron) and just leave it in the pot with the lid on in the fridge.

--Chop one small or half a large onion, a clove or two of garlic, a red bell pepper (and I threw in a couple ribs of celery for the first time tonight), and store in the fridge.

When you want to eat,

-- Saute your chopped veggies in a splash of evoo "until softish," as Jenni writes in my recipe book.

--Rinse a cup or so of red lentils, add to the pot with the veggies, and add water to cover.  You can add more water as it cooks down, if you like.  You'll find the consistency that you dig after you make it a couple times.

--While it simmers add any or all of these spices: curry*, s&p*, cumin*, coriander, allspice, turmeric, and tonight I thought "What the Hey," and I tossed in a little cinnamon and ground cloves.  *= most important.

--As the lentils are cooking, add a couple tablespoons of water to the rice, and re-heat on a low burner.

--When lentils are tender and spices are adjusted, serve spooned over rice.

--Garnish with yogurt, chopped parsley or cilantro, and a small squirt of Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce.

Not only is this recipe utterly delicious and fantastically easy, it reminds me of friendship.  Here's to that!