Peel as necessary and coarsely chop
the onions, celery, carrots and garlic.
Combine all ingredients except the
lemon in a large stew pot and cover with 2 quarts of cold water.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover
loosely, and simmer gently over a very low heat for 3-4 hours.
When the stew is thick, and the
lentils and vegetables are tender (the vegetables will cook down to
a sort of mush), half the lemon and squeeze the juice into the stew.
Stir and adjust the seasoning with
salt and pepper.
Add more lemon juice if desired.
Serves 4-6
Beef Stroganoff is tastiest served with
egg noodles