Name: Lentils With Caramelized Onion Aioli and Crispy Chile Oil
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 3 onions, halved and thinly sliced on a mandoline; 6 Tbsp. olive oil; 1 tsp. fine salt; 2 (15-oz) cans Puy, brown, or green lentils, drained; 5 Tbsp. water or vegetable stock (or chicken stock if not keeping vegetarian); 3 Tbsp. white wine; ¼ tsp. ground cumin; 1 Tbsp. soy sauce; 1 tsp. white miso paste; ¼ tsp. Dijon mustard; 7 Tbsp. plant-based milk or dairy milk; 2 Tbsp. olive oil; 2 tsp. lemon juice; Store-bought crispy chile oil; 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives, parsley, or cilantro; 2 lemons, halved

A bowl of lentils with caramelized onions aioli chile oil and chives on a kitchen countertop.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton

Canned lentils are given star treatment when paired with a rich and savory (but vegan!) caramelized onion aioli (for want of a better description) and store-bought 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—they'll stay good even longer in the freezer. 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 aioli is a great condiment in its own right—use it in sandwiches and burgers, spoon it into soups, or serve it alongside roast chicken.

This recipe was excerpted from 'Mezcla' by Ixta Belfrage. Buy the full book on Amazon. This book was selected as one of the best cookbooks of 2022; this recipe appears as part of our pantry-friendly Vegetarian Comfort Food Meal Plan.

Cook's note:

The onion aioli will keep in the fridge for 3 days.

Recipe information

Yield
Serves 2

Ingredients

3 onions, halved and thinly sliced on a mandoline

6 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. fine salt

2 (15-oz) cans Puy, brown, or green lentils, drained

5 Tbsp. water or vegetable stock (or chicken stock if not keeping vegetarian)

3 Tbsp. white wine

¼ tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Caramelized onion aïoli

1 tsp. white miso paste

¼ tsp. Dijon mustard

7 Tbsp. plant-based milk or dairy milk

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. lemon juice

To serve

Store-bought crispy chile oil

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives, parsley, or cilantro

2 lemons, halved

Preparation

Step 1
If starting with dried lentils, put 1 cup into a large saucepan and cover with well-salted water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat and cook for 25–30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft but still have some bite. Drain, then proceed with the recipe.
Step 2
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 3
To make the aioli, 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 4
Put the rest of the onions into a small bowl and set aside to serve.
Step 5
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. Place over medium-high heat and cook for 4 minutes, or until bubbling and hot.
Step 6
Divide the lentils between two bowls and top with a generous spoonful of the onion aïoli. Drizzle with some chile oil, then top with the remaining caramelized onions. Finish with the herbs and a squeeze of lemon, and serve.