These are lentils. Make the recipe at the end of this post, but only if you approve of eating pork.
You can buy these lentils, inexpensively, at the grocery store. Unfortunately, they won’t hold up a wall over windows and doors. For that, you need lintels.
Our lintels are heavy and strong enough to hold up a two-foot wide earthen wall over the window openings. They are so heavy that my Dad lifted them over our windows with the tractor. He had to do some pretty fancy maneuvering to put the last one in place, over the window on the back-porch side of the house. He managed.
Eva and Jerry lifted the lintels off the tractor forks and rested them on blocks above the windows. There were seven of them, so you can imagine how happy they were when they unloaded the last one.
Later, Jerry and I leveled the walls on either side of the window by scraping them with trowels. Then we poured lots of mud slurry onto the walls and replaced the lintels. I think next time we’ll have the walls all leveled first. Then we’ll pour slurry and permanently place the lintel straight from the tractor. Live and learn!
SAVORY LENTILS WITH SAUSAGE
from a British newspaper or magazine, with changes
This recipe may have been developed originally by Carola Weymouth.
1 lb brown lentils
5 oz bacon, chopped
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
4 sticks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 sweet Italian, Cumberland, or other good sausages
- Rinse and pick over the lentils. Put them in a saucepan with enough water to cover them by about 1”. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer the lentils until the instructions call for them.
- Fry bacon in a large skillet for about 3 minutes, then add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook together over medium heat until bacon is done, onions are translucent, and other vegetables are tender. Add garlic and mushrooms, cover, and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the simmering lentils and water to the bacon and vegetables. If necessary, add enough water to cover the lentils by about 1/2 inch. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
- While the lentil mixture is cooking, in another skillet, heat oil and brown and cook the sausages.
- Season the lentil mixture and stir in vinegar and parsley.
- Serve the sausages with the lentils. Keep leftover lentils in the refrigerator. They are great cold for lunch or a snack.