Preparation

Heat olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot, cook about four minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook until vegetables are soft, about four more minutes. Add curry powder; stir to coat the vegetables, about 1 minute. Add the lentils and stock. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add hummus and butter to the soup. Season to taste with salt, pepper, curry powder, and lemon. Add water to thin the consistency, if desired. Garnish with green onions.

Writing nonfiction will lead you down some strange wormholes sometimes.  That’s how I stumbled across the 1982 British sitcom, The Young Ones.  I was a small bibliographical leap from the primary subject I was researching to old BBC comedies.  I moved the The Young Ones season 1 disc to the top of my Netflix queue, and it arrived in its bright red envelope a couple days later. It didn’t take me more than an episode or two to realize it was awful.  Though it could have been because I wasn’t old enough or British enough to get most of the jokes, mostly it was because the characters were whiny, violent, and completely unlikable.  (Though that may have been the point, I struggled with the dry humor.)  The sitcom centered on the lives of four undergraduate flatmates, but the only one I remember vividly was Niles.  Niles was the human equivalent of Eeyore: a dull-eyed, pacifist hippie, who was convinced the whole world was out to get him.  His long hair was stringy and greasy.  I didn’t find his anhedoic approach to life the least bit funny, especially his particularly pessimistic brand of wallowing in misery.  Usually he was complaining about having to do all the domestic chores with no thanks from the others.  Once after cooking a pot of lentils, and listlessly eating them, Niles asked in his nasally, British- inflected-Eeyore-voice, “I wonder how many lentils I’ve ever eaten in my life.” Then, he says something surprisingly brilliant: “Lentils are really good, you know?  No matter how many time you have them, they never get boring.”

To that, I’ll heartily agree.  Though lentils have the stigma of being dirty-hippie food—something to be choked down because you’re broke or live in a commune—they are actually a lot more elegant (and flavorful) than that, especially if you add bacon.  Just because they’re a cheap source of protein and full of iron and fiber, doesn’t mean they should be loved any less.  So this month, I have a versatile lentil salad for you.  I love that this salad can be served at any temperature , and that it’s sturdy enough for any potluck or picnicking conditions.  The original recipe is tricked out with feta and bacon, but you could easily add raw, chopped tomatoes too if they’re in season.  Or do away with all the fancies and add some cooked rice to the lentil-onion mixture, and you’ll have a nice mujaddara on your hands.  Either way, they never get boring.

Pick over lentils and rinse.  Place in pot with salt and cover with water by at least two inches.  Boil over medium heat about 25 minutes until lentils are tender, but not mushy.  Drain.  Rinse in cold water.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.  Set aside bacon on paper towels to cool. Crumble.

Heat the reserved bacon fat over medium-high heat and add the onions.  Cook until translucent and then lower the heat to low.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are brown and caramelized, about 35 to 30 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Mix lentils, onions, crumbled bacon and remaining ingredients in large serving bowl.  Taste to adjust seasonings.  May be served immediately, at room-temperature, or chilled.