I originally put this together for a Christmas in Bethlehem dinner, but it turned out well enough that I thought I’d better record the recipe, if only in case we make the Christmas Eve dinner thing a tradition.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 carrots, scrubbed (not peeled)
  • 3 stalks celery, including leaves
  • 2 cups dry lentils
  • 2 quarts chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon parsley
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in pot on sauté setting. Add onion and sauté until translucent.
  2. Add garlic, carrots cut into chunks, and celery cut into chunks. Continue to sauté until onion is golden.
  3. Add lentils to the pot and stir. Cover mixture with chicken stock. Add lemon juice and 1/4 cup cilantro to the pot, along with cumin, parsley, and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
  4. Use the manual function to cook on maximum pressure for 8 minutes.
  5. After cooking completes, allow pressure to natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
  6. Remove bay leaf, stir in remaining cilantro, and serve warm.