Yet another recipe so criminally easy I shouldn't call myself a food writer and pretend this is a recipe. But this is a great example of what can be done if you just have the right ingredients on hand. I love beluga (black) lentils. They are rich and meaty and retain much of their firm texture when cooked, making them great to eat as a hot side dish or the next day as a cold salad.
Beluga lentils cook up pretty quickly, although my favorite source for them is Trader Joe's, who sells them par-cooked in heat-proof plastic bags; you just plop the whole bag in a pot of boiling water and 5 minutes later, you have lentils! They are a little undercooked for my taste, so I like to cut the bag open and add about 1/2 cup of stock or water and boil them on high until the liquid cooks out, and then they are usually perfect.
Giardiniera is a pickled condiment which can be found in the olive section of most well-stocked grocery stores or in the Greek or Italian section. It's a mix of vegetables which are usually packed in brine - I like to buy the kind packed in olive oil, though. The oil in the jar is so flavorful that it makes a great addition to salad dressings, pasta, you name it.
Cook lentils until they are at your desired softness. Add 1/4 cup giardiniera, along with about a tablespoon of the oil in which they are packed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and heat through. Yep, that's it. The whole recipe. I promise it's really tasty.
