Distinctly Montana Magazine

d i s t i n c t ly m o n ta n a • s u m m e r 2 0 1 5 46 Kitchen Guy Kitchen Guy Kitchen Guy lENTil he ave n by CHEF jim gray lENTil CHili 7-3/4 cups vegetable broth, divided use 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced fine 1 medium yellow onion, cut into fine dice 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 Tbsp Mexican chili powder (spicy or mild) 16 oz. brown lentils 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes with juice 2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped in a soup pot or Dutch oven, heat ¾ cup vegetable broth. Add diced red bell pepper, minced garlic and yellow onion and cook over medium heat until the vegetables have softened. Add the chili powder, the remainder (7 cups) of vegetable broth and the lentils. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes or until the lentils have softened. Add the chopped tomatoes and juice to the pot and continue cook- ing for about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro before serving. D on't faint, but I'm going to quote from a Bible story and give you a vegan recipe. Open your texts to Genesis to the story of the brothers, Jacob and Esau, the latter being the eldest and therefore entitled to the "birthright" — meaning that when his father died, he (Esau) would inherit patriarchal status. But young Jacob wanted the birth- right and so he somehow convinced Esau to trade it for a bowl of lentils. Esau must have been one hungry dude. Now for the vegan part: I am not a fan. Vegetarian I can deal with. I do eat my veggies (most of them, anyway), but I am a com- mitted meat-eater, so when someone suggests that I try to go meat- less for a meal — or worse yet — a day, I'm not so enthusiastic. But I am well aware of food trends. Meatless Mondays began as a movement among the food cognoscenti in many large U.S. cities about two years ago and it's a food trend that has caught on, making its way through our food- centric culture. I cannot identify the precise moment when I decided to give it a try, but it wasn't long after I tasted a chef-colleague's version of a lentil stew that it occurred to me that every once in a while, I could do something like this. So I set out to create a dish where meat was a co-star and not necessarily the center of attention. I have a chili recipe that calls for a pound of ground beef and so I wanted to see if I could substitute — ounce-for-ounce — lentils for beef. To my surprise and satisfac- tion, it worked. I like my chili spicy and this recipe calls for hot Mexican-style chili powder, which also contains cumin and other dried herbs. But because I like flavorful heat, sometimes I'll even add up to four whole chipotle peppers, lending their smoky taste to my chili (I remove the chipotles before finishing the dish). Please note, too, that as a devotee of Texas-style chili, I do not use beans. However, since this is truly a vegetarian dish and, shudder, a vegan one, too, you could add any style beans you wanted. Find other recipes from Chef Jim Gray: www.distinctlymontana.com DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL

• Cover