Lentils, and I’m still alive

I’ve been a little overwhelmed lately.

In the past week, I have: Worked nearly 7 hours a day on an intense writing project; attempted to clean and grocery shop and see my husband; tried to prepare for our upcoming trip to India, and failed, and begged Crayton to plan the whole thing by himself; attempted to plan our visit from my in-laws, who arrive tomorrow, and lastly, thought deeply about whether we want to stay in our apartment for another year.

I am kind of going insane. Today, just for fun (because I had two minutes allotted for “fun”), I thought about what feast I’d prepare to calm myself down, if I had all the money and time in the world. I looked through my photos of tacos and tostadas and salads, and a picture of these absolutely kick-ass esquites we ordered recently at La Capital in Condesa. I was planning to write a post on my Top 5 Most Relaxing Foods. But do you know what I remembered? Lentils with bacon. Made in a clay bean pot.

I whipped up a batch last Friday in a kind of half-frenzy, because I was working on this writing project, and Crayton and his friend Nick were coming over to watch the basketball game. They didn’t ask me to make anything, because they knew how busy I was. They were going to order pizza. But I couldn’t let them do that. A little voice in my head told me I had to prepare these lentils. These are the internal issues I hope to resolve while I’m meditating in an ashram in two weeks.

Anyway: The lentils turned out fabulous — kind of soupy, kind of not. I served them with crusty bread I’d warmed in the oven. Crayton and I have been eating the leftovers, happily, for almost a week. Today I had a bowl while sitting next to my space heater.

They’re so comforting and sloppy, and smoky from the bacon. Wish I could just keep eating them every few hours, to give me the peaceful zen I need to finish all my tasks.

How to handle stress is another thing I’m hoping to work on in the ashram.

Lentils with Bacon
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking
Serves a LOT

Note: I originally planned to make this with the lentils I had in my pantry, but when I unearthed the bag, I discovered they’d expired in 2008. EXPIRED in 2008, not even purchased then. Whoops. So I ordered some more from Superama online. Also, you can use deli-sliced ham or any variety of bacon, but I like using thick chunks of bacon that have been cut into smaller pieces. It’s so nice to stumble on a chunk of bacon when you’re eating this. It’s like stumbling on a peanut in the Cracker Jack box.

Ingredients

1 large onion (I used 1 medium sized onion, and a leek, because that’s what I had on hand)
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press
3 carrots, chopped
3 pieces of celery, chopped
1 to 2 thick slices bacon, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 bag of lentils (about 2 heaping cups)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
water

Heat a few glugs of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet, or, if you wish, a 3 1/2- to 4-quart dutch oven. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds to a minute. Add celery, carrots and bacon and cook until just tender, about 15 minutes. Gently pour this mixture into your clay bean pot, or keep everything where it is, if you’re already cooking in a dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium, and add lentils and water — about 8 cups, or as much as you think is necessary — and the thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and cook until lentils are tender. (This took me about 90 minutes to two hours.) Add more water if the lentils look too dry.

Serve with crusty bread and a cold beer.