Puy Lentils with Root Vegetables and Poached Eggs

Posted by jimphelps on December 26, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

This is great hearty lunch or dinner.  I first made this when I had leftover lentils with root vegetables.  We were looking for a quick lunch.  I reheated the lentils in a 10″ saute pan and poached the eggs on top – like a traditional hash.  Since then, this recipe has become a staple.  The cooked lentils freeze well.  Thaw them mostly in the microwave and reheating them in a pan.  Crack and egg or two on top, add salt, pepper and a little dash of hot sauce and you have a quick, healthy and hearty meal.

Recipe: Puy Lentils with Root Vegetables and Poached Eggs

Summary: The lentils take about 40 minutes to cook. Topped with eggs, they become a rich and hearty quick meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 C. Puy Lentils (small green lentils)
  • 2 Tbl Olive Oil
  • 1 Medium Carrot
  • 1 Stalk of Celery
  • 1 Medium Parsnip
  • 1 Medium Turnip
  • 1/2 Medium Onion
  • 5 Cloves of Garlic
  • 1 Large Bay Leaf
  • 1 tsp Dried Thyme or several sprigs fresh
  • 1 tsp Dried Rosemary or 1 sprig fresh
  • 3 Allspice Berries or 1/2 tsp ground
  • 4 to 6 Cups Broth or Stock or water
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 4 Eggs

Instructions

  1. Pick over the lentils and rinse them well
  2. Dice all of the vegetables into 1/4 inch dice. You can put them all in the same bowl. Finely mince the garlic.
  3. Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add all the root vegetables (not the garlic yet) and season with a pinch of salt.
  4. Stir and cook until the vegetables are soft and just start to caramelize (about 10 minutes)
  5. Add the garlic and herbs and stir until fragrant (1 minute).
  6. Add the lentils and enough stock to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil then reduce to a simmer and cover tightly.
  7. Stirring occasionally, simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the lentils are soft. You may need to add more stock or water as they cook. The lentils should be a little soupy when you are done. There should be liquid to serve with them (see the photo below).
  8. Season with salt and a healthy grind of black pepper.

To Poach Eggs:

  1. Use the freshest eggs you can find.  They should have a high ratio of thick egg white to runny egg white.  This is where a Farmers’ Market is wonderful.  Get the best eggs you can.
  2. Bring 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil in a broad pan.  Don’t add vinegar.  It doesn’t keep the egg together and it flavors the eggs (so says Harold McGee).
  3. Add salt to the boiling water and reduce the flame so the water is just below boiling with no turbulence.
  4. Crack each egg into a separate shallow bowl or use a slotted spoon.
  5. Gently pour each egg into the pan.
  6. Poach for 3 to 5 minutes.  Very gently.  No turbulence.
  7. Remove and plate immediately on the hot lentils.
  8. Season the eggs with salt and ground pepper and a few dashes of Tobasco sauce.

Quick Notes

You can use eggs over easy or soft boiled eggs or poach the eggs on top of the lentils (like a hash).

Variations

You can add 1/2 Cup Sage Sausage to the recipe. Heat the oil then add the crumbled sausage and cook until it is browned. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon and cook the vegetables as above. Add the sausage back to the mix when you add the stock. You can also add finely chopped cooked greens. If we have left over kale, I’ll chopped it up and stir it in near the end. Squeeze the excess liquid out before you add the greens.

Cooking time (duration): 60

Number of servings (yield): 4

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