Lentil Ragout

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup diced double smoked bacon
• 2 cups diced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 2 ½ cups green lentils
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 small can diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 bouquet garni (tied bundle of thyme, rosemary, parsley and bay leaf)
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup breadcrumbs

Instructions:

– Add 2 tbsp/50 mL olive oil to pan, and fry bacon for five minutes to render some of the fat.

– Add onions, celery, carrot, cook another five minutes until tender and the onions are translucent.

– Add lentils to the mix, and stir in until combined, then fry for few minutes.

– Deglaze with chicken stock, add the tomatoes, then add the maple syrup and your bouquet garni.

– Continue to cook on the stove at a low heat for two hours, stirring occasionally, or place the pot in a 300°F oven for two hours. Once the lentils are tender, add the cider vinegar. Be sure your cassoulet doesn’t dry out, top up with chicken stock as needed.

– To serve, add duck confit, broken into bite-sized pieces, cover the pot with breadcrumbs, and bake at until the top is crispy. Serve with toasted baguette and a nice glass of wine.

Serves 8 with leftovers.

Duck Confit

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup salt
• 1 shallot (thinly sliced)
• Thyme sprigs
• 8 duck legs
• 1 ½ litres rendered duck fat

Instructions:

– Combine salt, sugar, shallot, and thyme in a bowl.

– Trim duck legs of excess fat, then rub liberally with the cure. Allow the duck to sit in the cure for 3 hours, then rinse under the tap to remove any excess cure mix.

– Preheat your oven to 250°F and warm the duck fat on the stove on a medium heat. Carefully add the cured duck legs to the fat, and place covered pot in the oven for 2-3 hours, until the duck is tender, but not falling apart.

Source: loveyourlentils.ca