preparation

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
  If you bought the right little lentils, you don’t need to soak them before cooking them. So pay attention to the packaging whether it indeed states that they will be cooked within about 20-25 minutes.
  Cut all tomatoes, except 8, in half. Place all thyme sprigs (except 5) in the bottom of a baking dish. Place the tomatoes cut side up on the thyme. Drizzle with plenty of olive oil and also divide balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes. All together about 4 tablespoons.
  Place the dish in the oven and let the tomatoes become soft and sweet for about 45 minutes.
• Place the lentils in a pan and cover with water. The water should be 0.5 cm above the lentils. Add the peeled garlic cloves, the bay leaves and the remaining sprigs of thyme. You can also add the remaining tomatoes, but leave them whole when you add them to the pan. Let this cook on a slow heat for about 20-25 minutes until the lentils are tender.
• Arrange the lentils on a nice platter. Spoon the tomatoes from the oven over it and don’t forget to divide the delicious liquid over the lentils.
  You can eat it as a side dish or with a large piece of bread.