Mimi's Lentil Medley — The Democratic Pot

Mid-January and the country is in a different kind of tumult on top of everything else. January 6th happened and I have been processing it all week in the background of teaching and cooking and wedding planning. I am not going to say much about it here except: I am a special ed teacher in Chicago and I love this country and I am holding both of those things with everything I have.

I made a large batch of minestrone this week, which is the most democratic soup I know — whatever vegetables you have, a can of white beans, a can of tomatoes, some pasta, broth, and time. Mine had half a wilted head of cabbage, two carrots, some leftover potato, and a bunch of kale that was almost done. It all went in the pot. It was exactly good. I ate it for four days and it improved each time, which is the nature of minestrone. It asks nothing of you and it gives everything back.

Ryan and I have been talking about the apartment. Not about leaving it — we love it, it is ours in the way that a place is yours when you have cooked a thousand meals in it and slept through a hundred storms in it — but about what it needs. We think a second set of bookshelves. We think some better light in the kitchen. Ryan wants to repaint the kitchen. I said what color. He said yellow. I said absolutely not. He said a very pale yellow. I said we will talk about this.

The kitchen repaint negotiation has been going on for approximately three days and will probably not be resolved before the wedding, which means we have a pending yellow kitchen argument to look forward to. I think this is what six months of marriage-ahead feels like: negotiating the yellow kitchen in between making minestrone and writing about it. This is the life. I mean that with everything.

The minestrone carried me through that whole week, and when it was gone I found myself still wanting something in that spirit — a pot that takes whatever you have and makes it into something worth eating four days in a row. Mimi’s Lentil Medley is that pot. It has the same democratic quality: legumes, vegetables, broth, time. It is the kind of recipe that does not require you to have it together, which is exactly what I needed in a week when I very much did not.

Mimi’s Lentil Medley

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, with juices
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups chopped kale or spinach, stems removed
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Sweat the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
2. Add the carrots and spices. Stir in the carrots, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika. Cook for 2 minutes, letting the spices bloom in the oil and coat the vegetables.
3. Build the pot. Add the rinsed lentils, diced tomatoes with their juices, vegetable broth, and bay leaf. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Simmer until tender. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer for 25—30 minutes, until the lentils are completely tender and have begun to thicken the broth. Stir occasionally and add a splash more broth if the stew gets too thick.
5. Finish with greens and acid. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the chopped kale or spinach and cook for 3—4 minutes until wilted and tender. Add the red wine vinegar, then taste and adjust salt, pepper, and vinegar as needed.
6. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley if desired. Serve with crusty bread. The medley improves the next day — store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 265 | Protein: 15g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 39g | Fiber: 14g | Sodium: 480mg