Sweet-and-Sour Lentils
Saure Linsen, sour lentils, is a Swabian everyday dish from southwest Germany, usually simmered with a little sugar and vinegar and served with spaetzle and sausage. The lentils and the sweet-sour balance are the good part, and they stand perfectly well on their own. Brown lentils are cooked with a mirepoix and warm spice until tender but still whole, then finished with cider vinegar for the sour and a single blended date for the sweet, which does the job of the customary sugar with fruit instead. Adding the acid only at the end lets the lentils soften first and keeps the sourness bright. It is cheap, high in protein and fiber, and better the next day.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 whole Yellow onions, diced
- 1 whole Carrots, diced
- 1 rib Celery, diced
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 tsp Dried marjoram
- 1 whole Cloves
- 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 whole Medjool dates, pitted and blended with a splash of water
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Sweat the onion, carrot, and celery in a pot with a few tablespoons of water until soft, about 8 minutes, adding more water if the pot runs dry. This mirepoix is the sweet, savory foundation the dish is built on, and cooking it gently in water draws out its sweetness with no oil.
- Add the rinsed lentils, bay leaves, marjoram, the single clove, and 3 cups (710 ml) water. Bring to a simmer and cook, partly covered, for about 25 minutes, until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape. Add the vinegar only later: acid stirred in now would keep the lentils firm for an hour, so let them soften in plain water first.
- Brown lentils are chosen because they stay intact where red lentils would collapse into puree; saure Linsen is meant to be distinct lentils in a glossy sauce, not a mush, so stop cooking while they still have a little bite.
- Once the lentils are tender, fish out the bay and clove and stir in the cider vinegar, the blended date, and the Dijon. The vinegar brings the sour, the date brings the sweet in place of the traditional pinch of sugar, and the balance between them is the entire character of the dish.
- Simmer another 5 minutes to pull it together into a thick, glazed sauce, then grind in black pepper and taste. Adjust with a splash more vinegar for sharper, or let it sit for the flavors to settle; serve over an intact whole grain or alongside roasted vegetables.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 210 calories, 13 g protein, 9 g fiber, 90 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
