Let's return to the lentils
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 10:40AM 
It is an unglamourous, unoriginal statement to declare I adore baked beans. But I do.
Since I have a habit of imaging our conversations as dramas in my head, I can hear you saying "those aren't beans, Tara. Those are lentils." And maybe then you'll tilt your head to one side and pat me on my hand in a kind, but vaguely pitying manner. You might cluck your tongue in a soft "tsk, tsk" as what a shame it is that I've obviously lost any and all of my marbles over this holiday and new year season.
You may even put up the kettle for some tea. You're really very nice to me.
However, please have faith in my madness, because look at that - right there, lentils that look like baked beans.
These brilliant beauties are from Frédéric Morin and David McMillian, and the book they wrote with Meredith Erickson, The Art of Living According to Joe Beef (Ten Speed Press, 2011). Morin and McMillian are behind the Montreal-based restaurant Joe Beef, and two other establishments - Liverpool House and McKiernan Lunchonette. The book is more than a cookbook, more of a treatise, a perspective on food and quality of life. That said, it's not mired down by overly-saccharine missives, but instead kept buoyant by bravado and enthusiasm, as evidenced by the included history lesson of eating in their city, a pullout insert of the most majestic smörgåsbord, and a romantic dissertation on train travel.
I flipped through the book for a few minutes one day, then spent a solid two luxurious hours reading it at the kitchen table the next, from beginning to end, while munching a chewy baguette with a smear of sinus-clearing mustard and wafery slices of salty ham. That was a fine morning, and this is a fine book. It's been on a whole whack of "Best of" lists for the year, with good reason.
Recipe origin given it's due, let's return to the lentils.
These lentils run all the same bases as baked beans - a humming balance of acid, fat, sugar, salt and bite (an equation cribbed from Morin and the pages of the book, I should say). The mathematics make sense, and are brought to best potential in a lidded pot. While the sludgy pleasure of baked beans is nothing new, the substitution of lentils in the place of the beans changes the effect entirely. The stewy, starchy charm is kept, but the flat density of the lentils shift and slip across the spoon, and make for a less claustrophobic bite. While not light per se, the lentils have a looseness, an almost hearty delicacy (which makes no sense, I know).
It's a home run.
Of all the ways one can enjoy a bean that's been baked these lentils can play quite admirably; alongside a golden-crisp sausage, or with cabbage that's been lightly braised, or as a part of a Full English Breakfast (the plate in the back). I've nicked some inspiration from the last, by grilling some bread on a cast iron pan, letting it catch and scorch in places, topped the toast with lentils and a frizzled-edged fried egg with the yolk left runny, and then spooned more beans atop that. It's that hearty, glorious fare that works well with coffee, morning, noon, evening and latest night.
The flavours are pretty much the regulars: fat and smoke from bacon, a low sweetness from browned onions and garlic, aromatic roundness from maple syrup, mustard's heat boosted by vinegar's twang. The structure upon which all the other ingredients play upon is, funnily, the ketchup - the combination of tomato and vinegar and sugar - is what gathers everything together. Which is to say it's like a curving, hunched backbone to the dish, as one looks when hunkered over a bowl at the table.
After a quick sauté on the stove and a longer stay in the oven, you are rewarded with a ruddy mix of lentils; it is awfully orange, here and there rusty brown with bacon and a single garnish of a dusky bay leaf. There's a comforting calm to the monochromatic scheme, but it's not fancy-pants stuff. If you'd rather, close our eyes and then grab your fork, or maybe grab the fork first, that might be easier. Either way, make these, eat them, and be happy.
******
There's a superstition that lentils are eaten on the new year because they resemble coins and this bodes well for prosperous days ahead. While I'm three days overdue in my wishes to you, the lapse does not diminish the sincerity of the sentiment. I hope your days have been brightly merry, and nothing but best wishes to you and yours for this year to come.
A quick mention, Donny Tsang invited me to chat about the photographs I take. If you'd like to read the interview, it's at Great Food Photos. Thanks so much Donny for the kindness!
Lentils Like Baked Beans
From The Art of Living According to Joe Beef. "This great side dish has a bit of a Quebecois-lumberjack-in-Bollywood taste. It is red lentils cooked like dal, seasoned like baked beans. It is a pork chop's best friend or will mate with a hefty breakfast."
4 slices bacon, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups (500 millilitres) red lentils, rinsed and picked over
4 cups (1 litre) water
1/4 cup (60 millilitres) ketchup
2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons neutral oil
2 tablespoons Colman's mustard powder
1 tablespoon cider vinegar, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon ground pepper, plus more as needed
1 bay leaf
Salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
In oven proof pot with lid, fry bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, or until softened. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
Add the lentils, water, ketchup, maple syrup, oil, mustard, vinegar, pepper and bay leaf. Stir well and season with salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, place in oven, and bake for 45 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
Taste and correct the seasoning with salt, pepper, maple syrup, and vinegar. Serve hot now or later.
Serves 4.
Notes from Tara:
- When it comes to lentils, they need a good wash - a quick rinse in a sieve doesn't always do the job. I cover them with water in a bowl, give them a swish with my hand, strain, and repeat, until the water is no longer cloudy.
- The bacon I had was rather thick cut, and so produced a good amount of fat. As a result, I didn't use the full 2 tablespoons of oil. I also squirreled away a few of the bits of crisp bacon before adding the lentils, reserving them to add at the table.
- I used some homemade ketchup, which has things like celery seed, clove, mace, allspice, cinnamon, chili flakes in it; for those so inclined, you could make up a sachet of these spices and steep them into the liquid for the baking. I've not tried it, so fair warning. Sounds like a nice idea though.
Reader Comments (34)
I cannot wait to try these!! I've been on a dense, hearty, healthy food kick for the last few days and I think these would make a perfectly good breakfast next week!
I am going to have to give these a try! They look utterly delicious. thanks for the inspiration tara.
I laughed out loud at "claustrophobic bite". :)
These look so good and I know my husband would love these. He's been known to eat baked beans cold from a can, which makes me cringe. But anyway, I want to try this recipe, but will have to do it without the bacon. Maybe a little seitan instead. Thanks Tara!
I'm fairly certain I've only had lentils once in my life as they don't seem to show up much in traditional Midwestern cooking. Perhaps I can change all of that? Start my own tradition? I do love a pot of baked beans (and most beans in general!).
My red lentils always cook up into a glorious mush, but yours didn't appear to. Did they really keep their shape like in the pictures?
this is exactly the recipe i needed to see today. with just about 2 cups of red lentils left after i made soup last night, and my children liking baked beans so much. thank you!
"A frizzled-edged fried egg"! Tara, I love the way you put words together, not to mention foods. Happy New Year!
I don't think you're mad. I once interviewed a scientist for the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers who said the following: "Well, what's a pulse? It's a lentil, chickpea or pea. What's a lentil, chickpea or pea? They're beans. They're all beans."
She was a PhD. Fear not.
Just as I commented to myself that I really need to use up some red lentils, your post appears in my reader. Thanks, mindreader :).
Yum! My dad loves baked beans, but I think he might love these lentils even more. I love the description from the book, and I will definitely be eating these with a fried egg.
I LOVE baked beans but they require advance planning. So I love this idea in using red lentils for a quick and sweet meal. White bread slathered in cold butter is how I plan on eating these. Thank you, Tara & happy 2012!
Damn, I wish I could make this now, but it would be ridiculous in this heat. It's meant to hit 39'C (102F). Also, now I'm thinking I should buy that book. Double damn.
yay, Kaitlin! Please report back if you try them.
You're so very welcome Rach! And thank you for the soup recipe.
Hello Heather, I added the note about the ketchup just for you. I'll admit even my adoration of baked beans stops short of cold out of the can ... your husband's hardcore! bravo.
I'm all for new traditions, Jen!
Jennifer Jo, yes, my lentils stayed intact. My mother always told me that lentils will vary with brand and batch - these are from an Indian grocery, but I don't know the brand (the bag's long gone). While I cook my lentils to mush for dal, these are tender but separate.
It must be kismet emily!
Eggton thank you so much.
Tiffany, you're the nicest.
heather, I do what I can. Happy to help!
The egg is really where it's at, Deanna. Fingers crossed they meet your Dad's standards.
Hiya kickpleat! All the best to you and C as well! And yes, totally agree, these are a much more spur-of-the-moment kind of thing over traditional baked beans. You could even put them up after dinner one night, to have them ready for the next. They're even better after the wait.
Y, it's the coldest day we've had this winter, -12 with the windchill. It's not crazy cold for here but still. I'm a summertime girl and 39 sounds almost dreamy. I hate to encourage consumerism, but yes, you really should get the book. Damn.
The entire time I was reading this post and nodding my head and trying not to drool over the photos, I was silently saying, "Please let there not be bacon". Alas, there is but I still think this is lovely and I am glad that we share a love of red lentils - one of the greatest ingredients on the planet. Happy New Year Tara!
I think this is a new record for me, for making a recipe after seeing it. These turned out really well (at least, from the taste I had from the pot.) I made a few changes, and will probably post more about it in detail on my blog, but I will say this, for now: If you have access to smoked sea salt, you'll want to add a little bit at the end, I think. It enhances the smokey flavour that I love so deeply and dearly about baked beans.
I love lentils. This sounds like a great new take on them, haven't had baked beans in ages. Happy New Year!
ok, just had me dinner when I read; a chewy baguette with a smear of sinus-clearing mustard and wafery slices of salty ham... and was hungry again..immagine how I felt at the end of the post, its not fair really
. ;)
' like coming back to your posts. thanks.
Hi Tara, I've only recently discovered your lovely blog and am enjoying reading my way through.
As someone from Australia, baked beans holds a special place in most people's lives as it's something most people grow up with. Your version of lentil baked beans sounds like the baked beans I think alot of people would enjoy evolving to!
I love that the subtitle for that book is "a cookbook of sorts". Sounds accurate based on your lovely review. I love baked beans as well, and I've learned to love lentils lately; a big pot of baked lentils sounds like it would be wonderful on a cold day. I might skip the bacon (or not, because it's my biggest weakness in my almost-always vegetarian diet). To be determined!
Sounds like an awesome baked bean style lentil dish.... I'm a huge fan of beans and love your toast, egg, lentil idea!! Will try it for breakfast tomorrow:)
these are going to be a big hit in my house! looks delish!
oh, i do love a lentil, and i could live on dal, but baked up with ketchup and bacon? well. i can't imagine january ever met such a fine match.
a most happy new year's to you and yours, tara.
ahhh! I am making this asap! i could eat a can of baked beans all by myself. every single day that is. thank you for sharing!
Very nice blog;)
M.
So completely brilliant. Why did I not think of this? Happy new year!