Creamy Red Lentils

I saved this post a while ago for a time when I was super busy and hadn't cooked too many things. Now is that time. I've been exhausted with interviews and cooking hasn't been my top priority. I meant to make a sweet potato and bean burrito the other night, but that didn't really work out (I got a stomach ache and never made it). Another time. I do plan on making nutella banana bread soon, so look forward to that. Anyway, this is what I wrote several weeks ago:

This reminds me a little bit of the lentil dishes at Indian restaurants, yet with slightly different spices. I can't really take credit for cooking this. My mom cooked it as I sat on the couch, full of painkillers, watching Matt Damon kick butt in the Bourne Identity. For those of you who don't know, I am now slightly lighter and arguably dumber,  having had four wisdom yanked out. Therefore, I've been eating a lot of soft things-pudding, frozen yogurt, these delicious lentils. The recipe we followed is supposed to create "garlicky lentil soup." Even after adding nearly 3 extra cups of vegetable stock, what we ended up with cannot be called a soup given its thickness. Still, I have absolutely no complaints. I've been eating it at every meal and even plan on making it when my mouth can tolerate chewing again.

Creamy Red Lentils
(adapted from The Soup Bible)

• 1 1/3 cups red lentils
• 2 minced onions
• 1 minced carrot
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large pinch oregano
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
• salt and pepper, as needed

Rinse and drain the lentils. Put lentils, onions, carrot, garlic, oil, bay leaves, oregano in a sauce pot, along with 1 1/2 cups of the stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the stock is absorbed and everything is extremely thick.* Add the rest of the stock, stir, and let simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.

Remove the bay leaves, add vinegar, salt, and pepper. Serve plain or with a little cheese. I don't know if the cheese really goes, but I liked it and it looks pretty. I can be a little strange like that.

(*Note: While we added the stock in batches-after we noticed that the original recipe was calling for a disproportionately small amount of stock-you could also try adding all the stock from the beginning. That would probably be just fine.)