Mess of Pottage

This title may be recognized by some of you as coming from the story of Esau selling his birthright to his brother, Jacob. Esau sold his birthright for a ‘mess of pottage.’ That language comes from the 15^th century, so it is more than a little dated.  Pottage is an older English word for 'stew.' The story is recounted in Genesis 25:27-34. In this case, the Bible tells us the stew was red lentils. Now I would be reluctant to say the Baked Lentil and Cheese dish I made would be worth trading away an inheritance for, but it was good. I didn’t expect too much from baked lentils, but the recipe was actually flavorful, and like most recipes in the book, it is inexpensive and healthy.

I have reprinted the recipe "Baked Lentils and Cheese" in the photo to the right.  One thing I truly love about More-with-Less is that the way a meal is prepared is just as simple as the ingredients and the dish itself. It is nice that everything is mixed and cooked right in the baking dish. After making this dish, I had three things to wash–a wooden spoon, a cutting board, and a knife--no mixing bowls or pots or pans. We served the dish with applesauce. I’d be hard pressed to think of a wine to pair with this dish, and it would hardly be in keeping with the spirit of Lent. (No pun intended.) We substituted some mozzarella cheese for some of the cheddar. The spirit of the cookbook is to use what is on hand and adapt to your taste. I did both.  This recipe is for six good-sized servings. I suspect it could successfully be cut in half. This is a great meatless dish for vegetarians and those of us keeping a meatless day during the week. A last suggestion is to use it as a filling for a vegetarian burrito.

A final word about lentils: in Jewish mourning tradition, lentils are traditional as food for mourners, together with hard-boiled eggs because their round shape symbolizes the life cycle from birth to death. And isn’t this a good beginning point for us in our Lenten reflections as we consider the life, death and resurrection of Jesus?

From More-with-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre. Copyright © 1976, 2000, 2011 by Herald Press, Harrisonburg, VA 22802. Used by permission.