Balsamic is often a substitute for red wine vinegar, so I'm thinking they could be interchanged. I've never had oxtail soup, can take or leave lentil soup, but being of PA Dutch descent, I've had beef tongue... and loved it. Pickled, it was. Couldn't eat it now without gagging, I'm sure. Oh and souse. I ate souse. And LIKED it. Good gracious.
I'm of German descent.. I grew up on Oxtail Soup... Oxtails used to be really cheap.. that's why my mom always made it.. Have you priced them lately Holy Moly!! They are dear... Used to be the things that were last to go over the fence were the cheapest.. Now they are delicacies I guess. I've eaten beef tongue.. not one of my favorites.. Something about the consistency.
Believe it or not I put greenish brownish lentils in my rice along side black rice, brown rice and instant Quaker Oats barley. Orientals love white fluffy & sticky rice, but it's bad for it brings on diabetes 2 and berry berry too! It's so delicious and when your main meal revolves around this fluffy white stuff, you got adjustments to make for being healthier! So we added all of the above to rice we eat when we eat rice dishes. We just add a little more water just a smidgen and soak it for at least an hour for better fluffiness. Guess you can add lentils to just about anything you like even desserts to make it healthier after you prepare it for eating just add it to your dish to have a healthy lentil filled foods.
I often add lentils to rice , too, and also enjoy the mixed rice with the many colors and flavors. I like fenugreek seeds added to the rice along with the lentils. We do make lentil soup sometimes, especially in the cold weather, and I enjoy it. Another thing that I like is a sprouted lentil salad. Lentils are very healthy when sprouted, and they are also one of the easiest foods to sprout. I sprout mine a couple of days until they are just starting to get a nice sprout growing. Then I chop up onion, cucumber, and usually some tomatoes and maybe green peppers, and mix it all together with a heavy italian dressing. A can of that tiny cocktail shrimp also goes great in the salad if you like shrimp and have a can on hand. Sometimes, I also just add the lentil sprouts into a regular pasta or macaroni salad. We do not eat a lot of pasta because of the carbs; but they do add to the flavor, even when you only add a small amount.
Lentils and rice cooked together with some chopped onion is a very common Lebanese dish. I have made it now and then. In Egypt, they top it with crispy fried onions.
In the last few years, we have had a great influx of Mexican people and their grocery store, in which I find so many different types of food. Last December when @Yvonne Smith mentioned she was having trouble finding lentils I went to one of the Mexican stores and I found at least half a dozen different kinds. I sent her two kinds for Christmas. I can just see her grinning as she found the lentils in her Christmas package, and I know @Bobby Cole must have gotten tired of them by the new year. In my family we would simmer ham hocks for a couple of hours, let them set over night in the refrigerator, then skim most of the fat off the top. Then I added onions, garlic, red bell peppers, fresh ground pepper, and simmer until the consistency was to our likening. Add fresh corn bread and butter as a side dish, and my bunch were happier than the hounds outside chewing on the left over bones. Yummmm!
I've only see maybe 3 colors of lentils, don't care for the red ones, because they get mushy too quickly, also I think the calories are a bit higher. Will check later because I might have both in my pantry.
I usually use the regular old plain brown ones... However I have used the yellow... in an Indian dish called Dal.