Lentils with Herbs, Red Wine and Cream

Humble lentils are so versatile, inexpensive and good for you.  In this recipe, we raise lentils up in our refined and elegant Lentils with Herbs, Red Wine and Cream.  Enjoy it on its own, topped with grilled sausages or atop freshly cooked rice and accompanied by roasted peppers for a satisfying dinner.  Serve Lentils with Herbs, Red Wine and Cream in an attractive deep dish for an elegant presentation and enjoy it with a glass of red wine.

Prep Time: 40 minutes, Total Time: 2 hours. Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Brown Lentils
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 1 Bay leaf, preferably fresh
• 1 medium Onion
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ¼ tsp coarse Sea Salt
• ½ tsp Aleppo Pepper flakes
• ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes
• ½ tsp Hot Smoked Paprika
• ½ tsp Sweet Smoked Paprika
• A healthy pinch of Saffron threads
• 1 cup chopped very ripe Roma Tomatoes
• ¼ cup dry Red Wine
• 1 Tb fresh Marjoram leaves
• 1 Tb fresh Rosemary leaves, minced
• 6 fresh Sage leaves, minced
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream
• 1 Tb minced Flat Leaf Parsley

Preparation:

1. Sort out any debris from the lentils, rinse and drain and set aside.
2. Smash one Garlic clove with the flat side of a chef’s knife, trim the root end and remove the peel.
3. Combine the lentils, smashed garlic clove and bay leaf in a 3-quart sauce pan, add enough water to cover by 1 inch and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Peel, trim and mince the remaining two garlic cloves and peel and chop the onion.
5. Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a 5-quart Dutch oven, add the minced garlic and chopped onion over a medium heat until the onion has softened.
6. Add the seasonings (sea salt through saffron) to the Dutch oven, stir and sauté uncovered for 1 minute.
7. Add the chopped tomatoes, raise the heat to medium high and sauté uncovered until the tomatoes have softened and cooked down.
8. Add the red wine, drained lentils, including bay leaf and smashed garlic clove, marjoram, rosemary and sage to the Dutch oven, stir and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
9. Add the heavy cream, stir to mix and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
10. Stir in the minced parsley, cover and remove from the heat. Remove the bay leaf before serving.