I was lucky to spend the day with my older daughter in New York.

We ate our way through the city but she had some work to do.

While she was working I was reading magazines. Of corse they where cooking magazines.

I came across a recipe that was almost identical to mine except the cooking methods  and amounts were different .

So I will give you my version, my mothers version and my grandmothers version. They are all the same.

Lentils are a tradition for News Years because it is supposed to be a sign of optimism  and possibility.

Lentils and Pasta

8 cups of water

One pound of rinsed lentils

Two teaspoons salt

1/2 lb spaghetti broken into thirds.

One small can of tomato paste

One diced onion

Five cloves of  mashed garlic

One large can of diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon  of black pepper

6 to 8 large basil leaves

Saute the onions in 3 tablespoons oil till soft.

Add the garlic and cook for about five minutes.

Add the water and salt and bring to a boil.

Add the tomato paste.

Add the washed lentils and cook till they are soft.

Add the  tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.

Bring the tomato lentils to a boil, break the spaghetti into thirds and cook according to the package directions with the lentils. I always like pasta a little chewy so I cook it about three minutes less than the package.

If it is too dry add more  water.

Serve with grated cheese.

We would eat this on Friday nights when we couldn’t have meat.

Now I serve it either plain or with crumbled sausage.

Eat it right away because it gets very thick.

Published by cmangoff

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