Lentil stew with Dombré - Test 2

1 - The dombré pasta is a fascinating little thing. I'm still not sure if I've made it right, given that I've been using just the one batch so far, but it has a lot of promise. After looking at the lentil and dombré recipes online, I decided to adapt the DuPuy Lentil Soup recipe instead to include the pasta. There are fewer onions and no garlic but there is lots of flavor! And the dombré help to thicken the soup into a stew.

2 - I quite liked it this time, with the dombré well cooked and the quantity of the little pastas seems correct. The addition of bacon really rounds the flavour. 

3 - Ben liked it, which is my badge of honor. It can take a little while to make the dombre, so I'll make them while I'm on a call or in a farm meeting. The weird thing is that the lentils didn't cook completely, so I had to leave it for longer.

4 - I'm making a few changes that are substantive enough to return this to Test 1. I've looked up a few more dombre stew recipes and so I'm tweaking the spices. This time 'round I added celery seed, thyme sprigs and a pinch of clove. Next time 'round I'd like to substitute the red pepper flakes with chipotle powder instead.

https://www.tatiemaryse.com/dombres-de-lentilles-a-la-viande-de-boeuf/

https://cuisine-creole.com/dombres-lentilles/

To Make the Dombré

56g of flour

2 Tbsps water

scant pinch of salt

a brief splash of oil

1. follow instructions in the Dombré recipe.

The Stew

2 oz bacon cut into lardons

1 Tbsp oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 Bay laurel leaves
2 tsps ground cumin

A pinch of clove powder

A small pinch of celery seed

A few sprigs of thyme

1 pinch red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1 cup DuPuy lentils
5-6 cups water
2 tsps red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp beef broth concentrate
1/2 tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste

1. In a soup pot heat the oil and fry the bacon until just crispy. Add the onion and slowly cook along with the Bay leaves and cumin until the onion is very soft and browning (cooking the onions over low heat allows for the sweetness of the onion to come through). NOTE if the spices look like they're starting to burn, add a splash (1Tbsp) water to get things moving again. This is perfectly acceptable in the browning process of the onion.
2. Add the pepper flakes and cook another minute.
3. Stir in the lentils until they are covered in fat, then add the water, vinegar, beef broth concentrate and dombré balls. 
4. Bring to a boil then simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 50-60 minutes, or until the lentils are completely soft.
5. Stir in the salt and adjust to taste.
6. Serve with ground black pepper on top and, if desired, a few drops of hot sauce.