Quick Lentil Deliciousness

Since Andrea is out of town this weekend, I didn't want to do anything particularly involved last night, so I just threw together a quick lentil thing that ended up being really, really good. Here's what I did:

1/2 red pepper, minced
2 smallish ribs celery, minced
1 carrot, finely diced
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 cup lentils
chicken stock
1 bay leaf
3 pickled garlic cloves, minced (these are Sherry Pickled Garlic from Quick Pickles)
1 Tbs each olive oil and butter

Throw the olive oil and butter into a hot pan and let cook over medium-high heat until the butter stops foaming. Toss in the pepper, celery, carrot, and onion and a pinch of salt and let cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften and start to brown a bit (~5 minutes). Add the lentils and stir around for a minute or so. Add enough stock to cover the lentils, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to get a simmer. Add the bay leaf, a good grind of black pepper, and the garlic, cover and let simmer for ~30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Give it a stir every 5 minutes and add more stock if things start to look dry. Take the lid off and cook for another couple minutes if it's soupy.

Serve topped with a bit of good, fruity olive oil.