Esau's Pottage

My grandmother was a woman of great and loving wisdom, and the single greatest influence on my life, my character, and the person I have become and hope to be, and one of the best things I remember about her is how she would apply bible stories to everyday life lessons.

One such story came from Genesis 25: 27 - 34 and dealt with the story of Esau and Jacob and stressed the importance of long term thinking. I'll try not to bore any of my readers with a recitation of the chapter and verse, but the gist of it was that one day Esau came back from hunting without much success and was hungry. He discovered his brother Jacob cooking a pottage (aka stew) of lentils. Esau was the elder brother and traded his birthright to Jacob, his younger brother, for a bowl of stew and some bread, being more concerned with his hunger of the moment than the long term value of his birthright.

I'm sure Pastor Terri L. Miller at Valley Ministries (MCC) could have put it better, but then she's someone who's studied the bible, and I'm only a lay (if even that) person.

Anyway, countless variations of this dish exist, but I only have so much time. So, I present for your consideration, this version of that most famous of all stews;

ESAU'S POTTAGE

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups dry red lentils
• 2 cups (8 quarts) water
• 6 chicken bouillon cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a large pot.
2. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Heat until the onion is translucent and everything smells really, really good.
3. Add the water, lentils, and bouillon cubes.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer the pottage over medium heat for about 45 minutes, or until the lentils are nice and tender.
6. Try a small sample and add salt and pepper to taste.

As always, eat and enjoy.

PS: If someone makes this for you, don't trade your birthright for it. Although it is delicious, it's not THAT delicious ;)