Lentils with caramelized onion aïoli and crispy chile oil

Name: Lentils with caramelized onion aïoli and crispy chile oil
Cuisine: Asian, Latin American, American
Ingredients: 3 onions (480g), halved and thinly sliced on a mandoline; 6 tbsp (75g) olive oil; 1 tsp fine salt; 425g cooked lentils, drained (2 cans, Puy, brown or green); 5 tbsp (70g) water or chicken/veg stock; 3 tbsp (50g) white wine; ¼ tsp ground cumin; 1.5 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp white miso paste; ¼ tsp Dijon mustard; 100g milk; 2 tsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives, parsley, or cilantro; 2 lemons, halved

5 steps

Canned lentils are given star treatment when paired with an addictive (vegan) caramelized onion aïoli (for want of a better description) and crispy chile oil. The only bit of hands-on cooking is frying the onions, which admittedly does take some time, but is well worth it. You can get ahead by frying a bunch of onions up to 2 weeks in advance and keeping a stash in the fridge. My fridge is almost never without a container of deeply caramelized onions, which I add to soups, broths, stews, and sauces, thereby effortlessly increasing flavor. I encourage you to fry off a bunch of onions every few weeks, and to thank me later. The caramelized onion aïoli is a great condiment in its own right—use it in sandwiches and burgers, spoon it into soups, or serve it alongside roast chicken.

Updated at: Sun, 05 May 2024 19:16:21 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Good

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Moderate

Nutrition per serving

Calories853 kcal (43%)

Total Fat63.7 g (91%)

Carbs54.7 g (21%)

Sugars16.2 g (18%)

Protein18.1 g (36%)

Sodium2449.9 mg (122%)

Fiber15.4 g (55%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

2 servings

480gonions

halved and thinly sliced on a mandoline

75golive oil

1 tspfine salt

425glentils

cooked, drained, Puy, brown or green

70gwater

or chicken/veg stock

50gwhite wine

¼ tspground cumin

1 ½ Tbspsoy sauce

Caramelized onion aïoli

1 tspwhite miso paste

¼ tspdijon mustard

100gmilk

2 tsplemon juice

2 Tbspolive oil

To serve

1 Tbspfresh chives

finely chopped, parsley, or cilantro

2lemons

halved

Instructions

Step 1

Put the onions, 5 tablespoons of the oil, and ¾ teaspoon of fine salt into a large sauté pan over medium heat. Fry for 22–26 minutes, stirring often, until deeply golden and caramelized. Make sure you don’t let the onions burn, or the aïoli will be bitter—decrease the heat if the onions are coloring too quickly.

Step 2

To make the aïoli, transfer 3½ ounces (90g) of the caramelized onions to a blender while still warm. Add the miso, mustard, milk, olive oil, and lemon juice and blitz until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed

Step 3

Put the rest of the onions into a small bowl and set aside to serve.

Step 4

Put the drained lentils into the pan you fried the onions in. Add the water, wine, cumin, soy sauce, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon of fine salt.

Step 5

Place over medium-high heat and cook for 4 minutes, or until bubbling and hot