Indian Black Lentil Stew Spiked with Bacon and Kale

Black lentils are my new found obsession. Sometimes called Beluga lentils (as a result of their likeness to caviar) they are tender, hearty, good for you, gorgeous on the plate and super easy too cook making them front and center in my kitchen as of late. Lentils are one of those things you can throw into soups and stews to add body and a ton of nutrients. Toss with salad or just season and eat all on their own. And they glisten when they cook so they look dynamite on the plate. I’m in love.

Last night I had a hankering for something warm and cozy but feeling a bit guilty for a touch of weekend overindulgence, I wanted a dish that would satisfy my taste without adding to my guilt. Enter my “Indian Lentil Stew with Bacon and Kale.” To be honest, I kind of made this one up on the fly so I’ve done my very best guesstimating with regards to the ingredients but feel free to taste and play with it to your liking.

The inspiration for this dish comes from a popular North Indian dish, Kaali Daal, also known as Ma Ki Daal (mom's lentils) since it is wholesome and delicious! Another popular name for it is Daal Makkhani. Serve over quinoa, with Naan, chicken or anything your heart desires. And I’m sorry to say I have no photos for this one. It was so freaking good I got overly excited and totally spaced on the camera. Next time!


Indian Lentil Stew with Bacon and Kale
A Girl and Her Kitchen

2 cups black beluga lentils
4 cups of water
1 bay leaf
1 1inch piece of fresh ginger
1 16oz can of diced tomatoes (fire roasted variety preferred)
1/4 - 1/2 c milk (to taste)
2 tsp cumin
1 ½ tsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala (Indian spice mixture, found in your local grocery store)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
2 shallots, small dice
1 small jalepano, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 strips of bacon (smokey variety), chopped (optional but highly recommended)
1 large bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil

In a sauce pan, bring the water to a boil. Add the lentils, bay leaf and ginger, reduce to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender (about 30 minutes. You want them to have some bite but not much..to your liking.)

While the lentils are cooking, in a wide but high edge pan, cook the bacon until golden, remove with a slotted spoon. Sautee the kale in the remaining bacon fat on medium heat until wilted (5-10 minutes). Set aside.

In the same pan (do not wipe out the pan, leftover bacon fat is gooood), melt the butter and olive in the leftover kale/bacon grease. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeño and sauté until the onion is softened (about 3 minutes).

Add the cumin, coriander and garam masala and sauté until fragrant (about 3-4 minutes). Add in the can of tomatoes and milk and stir to combine. Let simmer for 2 minutes.

Once the lentils are cooked, discard the bay leaf and ginger. Add the lentils and some of their cooking liquid (not more than half a cup) to the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Simmer for 3-5 minutes depending on how thick you want your stew. Once you reach the desired thickness, add the kale and bacon back in and stir to combine. Serve over quinoa, with chicken or grab and spoon and a bowl and go to town!

A Decadent Mushroom Sauce Perfect for Steak

For the first couple weeks of the New Year, I spent some much needed time detox-ing.  My recent diet has been focused on food including tons of veggies and protein and whole grains but no wheat, no gluten, no alcohol, no caffeine, and no cow’s milk cheese. As anyone who knows me, this was a serious challenge putting a major dent in my pasta and cheese diet, but alas, I was in dire need of a couple weeks to reset the system after an indulgent holiday season.  So over the next few days I’ll be posting some meet and vegetable focused dishes. It’s been a totally fabulous experience particularly because I was allowed to indulge a bit here and there. This recipe represents one of those totally satisfying indulgences! A creamy and rich mushroom sauce draped over perfectly cooked steak seasoned with thyme and rock salt. It was lip smacking good and absurdly easy to put together. So next time you’re in the mood for steak, try whipping up a batch of this sauce. It will elevate dinner to something extraordinary.

An Italian-American Classic: Chicken Parmesan

There is nothing quite like a bubbling and gooey tray of homemade Chicken Parmesan. This classic dish is an Italian-American standard that induces glorious checkered tablecloth day dreams. I love  good chicken parm. Leftovers make spectacular sandwiches assuming you have any leftovers as guest gobble each and every available morsel. The issue with a lot of recipes though is oil. You don't need to deep fry the breaded cutlets; you simply need enough oil to impact flavor and provide the satisfying browning and crunch that a good chicken parm should deliver. I've had a lot of mediocre dishes over the years, but this recipe seems to hit the mark every time. The trick is not only keeping the oil use under control, but also not drowning the chicken in sauce. When I layer my chicken cutlets into the baking dish I use the bare minimum of sauce. It helps keep the breading together and lends a bit more crusty crunch if you keep the moisture down. You can always top with more sauce upon serving! Buon Appetito!

You too can make food crack -- Braised Short Ribs over Pasta

There is a food god and her name is most definitively pasta. As clearly evidenced by the preponderance of pasta dishes on this blog, I am an absolute pasta-aholic. This is another sensational dish from one of my favorite people on planet food, Giada De Laurentiis. A rich, dark and meaty sauce that has serious depth of earthly, round warm flavor smothered over freshly cooked, tender pasta. It’s a hug in a bowl.

If that weren’t enough for you, here are two more good reasons to try this dish: it’s cheap and it includes cheese AND chocolate! Short ribs are a fantastic cut of meat. They are down right cheap and require simply a bit of liquid and a long bath on the stove to produce a tender and tasty mass of flavor power. The vast majority of the other ingredients in this dish are highly accessible, many of which happily reside in your pantry. Who knew when thrown together (and I mean thrown, prep time for this one is like a whopping 20 mins) you could make magic!

The second reason for my deep respect for this dish is the fact that I get to garnish this one with both cheese AND chocolate! Don’t let the chocolate thing throw you for a loop. It is completely clutch. The slightly sweet smoothness of the dark chocolate plays well with the salty bite of the cheese. Together they bring out an earthy richness that is warm and soothing all the way through.

But I should warn you. This recipe is basically food crack. It is highly impossible not to over eat with this one and it makes amazing leftovers so honestly, attempt at your own risk. I’ve been known to be caught standing with fork in hand, strands of pasta hanging out of my mouth while smuggling bites late at night in front of the frige in the dark. Enjoy!

Chicken and Mushroom Marsala Made Easy

Most nights I want a warm, scrumptious meal that doesn’t take me a year and half to make. Clearly I am a major fan of the kitchen, but after a long day of work what I mostly want to do is snuggle with the husband on the couch with a warm plate of heaven in my hands. Well, this here recipe was just the ticket! I found this one while perusing smittenkitchen, one of my all time favorite blogs. It’s delightfully simple to throw together and cheap no less! But the taste makes you think I spent hours in the kitchen. A fantastic dish. Tender chicken that has been browned and then slowly cooked in broth and marsala wine (a pantry staple) with a ton of good old white mushrooms (yes WHITE!) that have been sautéed the heck out of.  This dish comes together into a warm bowl of homey goodness. Serve it over rice, pasta or save the carbs and just bask in the glow of its mushroomy delight.

So pull those Costco chicken breasts out of the freezer to thaw, grab a pound or two of mushrooms and prepare yourself for an awesome dinner.