Recipe · Lentil
Lentils and Chestnuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or green lentils
- 1 1/2 cups cooked, peeled chestnuts (vacuum-packed or jarred is fine)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander seed
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1 tsp fresh thyme or oregano (stands in for the original rue and flea-bane)
- A tiny pinch of asafoetida (stands in for the original laser root, optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp good olive oil
Directions
- Simmer the lentils in plenty of salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender, then drain.
- While they cook, grind or stir together the pepper, cumin, coriander, mint, thyme and asafoetida with the honey, vinegar and broth.
- Put the chestnuts in a pot with the sauce and bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes.
- Mash about half of the chestnuts roughly with a fork so the sauce thickens, then stir in the drained lentils.
- Taste and adjust with more vinegar, honey or salt, then stir in the olive oil off the heat. Serve warm.
Apicius lists the lentils and the chestnuts as two similar dishes. This version combines them, as the recipe title suggests. The original also adds a pinch of baking soda to the chestnut water. You don’t need it with pre-cooked chestnuts.