Mushroom Lentils

Lentils. They're tiny little disks of nutritional gold, but they don't boast much in the way of flavor.

This is easily remedied with the right ingredients and cooking methods. It doesn't take much effort to turn them into something as enjoyable as they are healthful. 

Mushrooms and lentils really like each other. When they get together some serious culinary magic happens. 

Ingredients
1 cup. fancy dried mushrooms (if you can find one with morels, all the better)
2 chile costeno, sub guajillo or puya, tear off top and empty most of the seeds
1/3 cup dry lentils
2 cups water, ore was needed
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbl olive oil
1 1/2 tbls salt
1 tsp black pepper 

Add all to a pot.

I like to tear the tops off of the dried chilies and dump out most of the seeds. Try to leave them mostly whole though. They're easier to avoid and discard once the cooking is done. They're not really good to eat in this state. 

As far as the dried mushrooms go, I found an interesting mix on amazon called chef's blend. It's a bit pricey, but it has a lot of exotics, like chanterelles, blue foot and morels. I break the bigger ones into smaller pieces. It helps them cook faster and make them more palatable in the finished product. 

Cover. Bring to a low boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until lentils are tender and broth is rich and dark. 

Add more water if the pot dries out and the lentils are still not tender. Add water in 3/4 cup increments. 

You want some (1/2-1/3 cup) liquid remaining once the lentils are finished cooking in order to keep things moist and flavorful. 

You can leave the chilies in with the lentils if you're saving the leftovers. They will continue to add some more flavor. But I would avoid actually eating them.