Longer Nights

I've been meaning to try this farro recipe from 101 Cookbooks, but I just haven't gotten to it. Each night I look at the printed recipe and then decide I want to cook something else. So after a long day at work, I sat on the couch with a stack of books trying to make a last minute decision concerning dinner. Sometimes I ask E what he feels like, but his standard response is that I can make whatever I want and he'll be happy. Ah, so easy to please yet not so helpful in the decision making process when its concerning food.

As I was flicking through Vegetarian Suppers, I noticed a page that I must have tagged during the warmer days of summer thinking it would be a good fit when the nights were longer and the temperature dropped. Wine-braised lentils sounded warm and nourishing, and even better, we had all the ingredients on hand. With a few minor adjustments dinner was underway. The greens were meant to be stirred into the lentils, but since kale may be the only food on which E has a permanent boycott, I served them on the side and layered them on my toast before the lentils.

This will make an easy packed lunch. Unfortunately the lunch I brought today didn't get eaten as I persuaded E to take me out for Thai food, so roasted vegetable soup will be waiting for me in the work refrigerator tomorrow.

Pears with Blue Cheese and Pecans

Serves two

I tossed this together as the lentils were finishing up and it was a flavorful starter at a time when salad greens aren't widely available.

1 large ripe Bartlett Pear

1 teaspoon Champagne vinegar (I used a pear chardonnay vinegar)

1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of pecans, chopped

1 ounce of blue cheese, crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice pear in half and core

Slice each half into thin pieces

Place in a bowl and toss with vinegar and olive oil

Add pecans and blue cheese and toss gently

Season with salt and pepper

Red Wine-Braised Lentils with Chard

Adapted from Vegetarian Suppers by Deborah Madison

Serves 4

3/4 cup French green lentils

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 large onion, half diced medium half sliced thinly

2 medium carrots, diced medium

2 garlic cloves, 1 chopped, 1 halved

1 generous tablespoon tomato paste

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

1 bunch of Tuscan kale

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (my favorite is O zinfandel)

2 tablespoons of chevre

4 slices country bread

Parboil the lentils for 5 minutes and drain

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a 3-quart sauce pan

Add the diced onion and carrot and cook over medium heat until beginning to brown

Add the crushed garlic and tomato paste and stir

Pour in the wine and stir in the mustard

Add 1 1/2 cups water, drained lentils and 1 teaspoon salt

Simmer, covered until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 40-50 minutes

Wash kale and slice thinly, leaving water on the leaves

Add 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat

Add sliced onion and saute for 10 minutes

Add kale and cook until wilted, 7-9 minutes

Add red wine vinegar and cook for a minute until evaporated

Right before the lentils are done, toast the country bread and rub with the garlic halves

Divide the kale evenly among the toasts and add the lentils over the kale

Top each with chevre and serve