Detroit Coney-Style Lentil Dogs

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils
• 6 vegetarian hot dogs and buns
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 large onion, half finely diced and half raw for topping
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• Salt and black pepper

Steps

1. Pulse the cooked lentils briefly in a food processor, or mash them with a fork, until they are broken down into a fine, almost meaty texture with no whole lentils left.
2. That fine texture is the point of a coney chili; whole lentils roll off the hot dog instead of clinging to it.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the diced onion with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes, until soft and golden.
4. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and allspice and stir for 1 minute, then the tomato paste for 2 minutes, until it darkens to brick red.
5. Add the crushed lentils and the broth, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until the chili is thick, glossy, and holds its shape on a spoon.
6. Cook it down further than seems necessary. Loose chili slides straight off the bun.
7. Stir in the vinegar and season generously with salt and black pepper.
8. Warm the hot dogs and buns, then build each one with the dog, a stripe of mustard, a generous ladle of chili, and a scatter of raw diced onion.

Allergen note: Contains gluten, soy and mustard.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.