lentils

jacob and i made an amazing dinner from How to Cook. Its called smoky brown lentils with balsamic vinegar and pancetta/bacon. it was delectable. savory and sweet and very satisfying.

it served four but i'm going to halve the recipe here for you because that's what we made.
2 1/2 red bell peppers quartered lengthwise and seeded
1 lg red onion, cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, rinsed ( you can also buy a package of steamed lentils from tj's which is the perfect amount and even easier)
1 1/2 tbls balsamic vinegar
3 unpeeled garlic cloves
2 oz pancetta or bacon, we did bacon, diced
salt and blac pepper

preheat the oven to 400 F
Put the peppers and onions onto a baking sheet or roasting pan. pour over 1 1/2 tbls of the oil and add salt and pepper. roast in the preheated oven for 30 min.

Meanwhile to cook the lentils, put them into a large saucepan and add 4 cups cold water. bring to a boil, remove the lid, and cook at a fast simmer until the water has been absorbed and the lentils are tender about 20-25 min.

Put the remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar into a small bowl and beat well. add the garlic and bacon to the onions and peppers and roast for 15 min more or until golden. remove from the oven.

Squeeze the insides of the roasted garlic out of their skins into the balsamic dressing and mix. drain the cooked lentils and put them into a large bowl. pour in the dressing, add salt and pepper to taste, and stir through.

Add half the roasted veggies and bacon to the lentils. stir gently, then transfer to a serving dish. spoon remaining vegetables and bacon on the top and serve.

you'll love it, trust me. i also made gorgonzola and walnut bread to accompany it. no yeast here so it wasn't too tricky so we had a delicious simplish {it was messy} meal.

i thought it might be tasty to roast tomatoes as well, there's lots of potential here.