Olive Garden Lentil Stew

[kentauros]

Who da thunk it?!

While searching recipezaar just now for "Lentil Soups", the recipe at the top of the 600 recipe heap was

Olive Garden Lentil Stew

This recipe is from the files of Riserva di Fizzano and the Rocca delle Macie Winery – Olive Garden’s Italian Partners. Times listed do not include soaking time for dried lentils.

"Go ahead, click it. Make my day!"

[pokerfan]

1. I love lentils!

http://www.recipezaar.com/Lebanese-Lentil-Soup-48403">Lebanese Lentil Soup

[kentauros]

2. I do too!

:D
I like that painting


The Lebanese version is a lot like the Palestinian version some friends offer at their cafe. They only use cumin and black pepper for spices but the lentil to water ratio is very similar. I'm going to try my own version (making it up but close to theirs) this weekend :)

[pokerfan]

3. We raised them on the farm

which is about thirty miles from the farm in that painting. Mostly we raised wheat, but lentils and peas were part of the rotation.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

4. Why does this make your day?

Did you post it? Do you get money from clickthroughs? Are you the official nemesis for Olive Garden? :)

It appears to be a pretty average lentil soup, actually, though I question why you'd even consider soaking lentils. Soybeans? Sure, but even so, you're only cutting half an hour or so off the cooking time. Lentils? Presoaking would make it go from zero to mush before the veggies were cooked.

This inspired me to see if they had Carrabba's minestrone, though, which I've tried to recreate and never quite got it. Imagine my horror when I found their secret flavor boosters involve chicken stock, ham, and a stick of frickin' butter. . . (I'm not fanatic, but do try to stick to vegetarian.) Should have realized it would be bad--it's not like those guys in the commercials ever get any smaller, do they? Really takes the edge off the need to eat there, which I suppose is good because that's always a pricey meal once my kids tank up.

*sigh* I need to stay away from food threads. I'm now going to have to fire up the crock pot and make soup of some kind now, before I go to bed. Maybe lentil with some fresh ciabatta on the side. :9