She Who Must Be Obeyed reminded me again this morning of her Executive Order. Last night’s dinner was a UFO (unidentified frozen object) that thankfully turned out to be chili. And with some leftover cornbread from the freezer I was once again in compliance with the order to “clean out the freezer”. A part of her Executive Order limits me to one grocery trip a week (with a mask, disinfectant wipes, and one store only). This week’s trip was a calculated gamble on one of those tiny grocery sections housed within a burger/ice cream joint whose name will not be divulged for fear of possible legal action after they hear about this post.
Bad gamble. I managed to find just five of the nearly 20 items on my list. I did find some fresh spinach that wasn’t on the list. A tiny win but I’ll take it. This is going to be a tough week. Less fresh foods and a heavier reliance upon pantry items and any remaining UFO’s.
I sauntered into my pantry multiple times and opened the freezer multiple times before I figured out what to make for lunch. My flash of inspiration came from the jars of beans on the kitchen counter. I had completely forgotten about the lentils.
Until today. Here’s my Lentil Soup recipe:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 1 very large carrot, diced
- 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
- garlic powder
- pinch dried thyme
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
- 2 cups water and 2 cups low sodium chicken broth (approximate)
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, lower the heat to medium and saute the carrot, onion and celery until translucent.
- Sprinkle thyme and garlic powder over the vegetables in the pan and saute briefly.
- Add lentils and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Drop the heat down to low and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils need more liquid. Add one cup water and continue to simmer.
- Check and stir frequently. Add either more water or broth to suit your taste.
- Adjust your seasonings. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer for a total time of around one hour and 10 minutes.
- Serves four.
- Or two if you eat half, save the rest for another meal and eat sandwiches/tacos using leftover fillings from the freezer
Tips
Over time I’ve learned how important technique can be for turning out tasty food. Note the chicken broth is used first, then water. For a cup of dried lentils you will need about a quart of liquid. I start with chicken broth (you can sub vegetable broth) and allow the lentils to absorb the broth, then add one cup of water. The amount of additional liquid will depend upon your personal preferences. My approach is to add additional broth slowly after the 2 cups broth, one cup water. Most times I never approach a full quart of liquid. I like my lentil soup thick.
That half of a fresh onion didn’t sit around long because I made Pete’s Fried Rice without any broccoli. Instead of broccoli I used half of a green cabbage sliced into strips. The fried rice turned out just fine. You have to be flexible nowadays and don’t waste anything.
Here’s my updated list of pantry items.
Pandemic Pantry Items – Updated 04.06.20
- Canned tomatoes in 14.5 and 28 ounce cans. Diced, crushed, diced with green chilies and stewed
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Brown and white sugar
- Dried oregano, basil, and parsley
- Onion and garlic powders
- Bay leaves
- Parmesan cheese
- Dried pastas
- Dried beans such as brown and green lentils, pinto, black, adzuki, mayocabo, yellow and green split peas, black eye peas and cranberry
- Broth, vegetable, beef, chicken
- Rice – multiple varieties like basmati, brown, Texmati, arborio and plain long grain white
- Flour tortillas
Stay safe, stay well.
I think I bought too many bay leaves though.
garyskitchen.net 