🇪🇸 En Español: Lentejas
A simple dish, found in every Spanish home, lentil stew is delicious, nutritious and a real warmer for those chilly evenings.
Spanish Lentil Stew
Lentil stew is delicious, nutritious and a real warmer for those chilly evenings.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 ml
- ½ onion finely diced
- ½ green bell pepper finely chopped
- ½ red bell pepper finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic roughly minced
- 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
- 115 g tomato sauce
- 210 g uncooked brown lentils
- 2 small potatoes cut into small 1/2 inch/1.25 cm pieces
- 1 carrot thinly sliced
- 1.15 litres vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 dash dash black pepper
Conversions
Instructions
- Heat a large deep fry pan or a stockpot on medium heat and add in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
- After 2 minutes add in the onion, green & red bell peppers and garlic. Mix with the olive oil.
- Rinse the lentils under cold running water, removing any debris if found.
- Once all the vegetables are lightly sauteed, about 5 minutes, add in the sweet smoked paprika, quickly mix together, then add in the tomato sauce. Raise the heat to medium-high and simmer.
- After simmering the tomato sauce for 3 minutes and it has really thickened up, add in the rinsed lentils, potatoes, carrot. Season with black pepper, mix together, then add in the vegetable broth and bay leaf, mix together and bring to a boil. Place a lid on the pan and lower the heat to a low heat, simmer for 30 to 35 minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked through, then remove the lid, season with sea salt and simmer for 1 to 2 more minutes
- Transfer the lentil stew into shallow bowls and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley, enjoy!
If you like Chorizo?
Lentejas is more commonly made with added chorizo and topped with some pickled peppers so if like me you like your Spanish cured meats then this version is for you.
Spanish Lentil Stew with Chorizo
Lentejas is more commonly made with added chorizo and topped with some pickled peppers.
Ingredients
- 220 g dried lentils use brown or green
- 1.5 litres chicken stock you can also use water, or half stock and half water
- 1 stalk celery cut into inch long pieces
- Aromatics of choice rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, black peppercorn
- 1 ham bone
- 80 g chorizo semi-cured if possible
- 60 ml Olive oil
- 2 medium onions finely diced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp ñora paste this is a roasted red pepper paste — substitute a mashed roasted red pepper if you can't find it.
- 400 g chopped tomatoes drained
Conversions
Instructions
- Rinse your lentils and look them over carefully for debris.
- Since cooking the lentils is what takes the longest, start by covering them with cold water or stock and bringing to a simmer.
- Add the celery, aromatics, and ham bone and return to a simmer for about 40 minutes, though this depends on the variety – taste them often so that they don't overcook and become mushy.
- Cut 3/4 of the chorizo into rounds, place them in a heavy frying pan and turn up the heat. Sear the chorizo on each side, allowing the fat to render.
- Remove the chorizo from the pan and reserve for later. Mince the uncooked 1/4 of the chorizo for later use as well.
- In the pan with the chorizo fat, add the olive oil over a medium heat
- Add the onions and cook slowly until starting to brown (about 7 minutes)
- Add the carrots and cook another 5 minutes or so, until everything is cooked through and golden
- Add the garlic for another couple of minutes
- Add the tomatoes, minced chorizo, tomato paste and roasted pepper paste
- Cook over medium heat, stirring, until completely reduced to a paste (sofrito)
- Add this sofrito mixture to the lentils, and simmer together until all of the flavors are well combined. Taste the lentils often to make sure you don’t overcook them.
- Once cooked through, remove the aromatics and the celery from the pot and let the soup sit, uncovered, for as long as you can wait (the longer, the better combined the flavors will be)
- Serve hot and top with the seared chorizo and some pickled peppers if you can get them!
- Enjoy your homemade lentejas con chorizo!
Notes
Tip: if you like a thicker version, remove a couple of ladles of lentils before adding the sofrito (make sure they’re cooked through) and run this through the blender until smooth. Add back to the soup for a thicker version.
You may also like one of my other favourite recipes …
1
Spanish Style Slow Roast Lamb and Beans
Slow-cooked tender and succulent lamb with butter beans and roasted red peppers.
Check out this recipe
2
Shepherds Pie – Spanish Style
Slow-cooked lamb shoulder combined with chorizo gives this take on shepherds pie a real depth of flavour and the meat just melts in your mouth.
Check out this recipe
Grandads Cookbook may reference or include sections of text and images reproduced courtesy of:
- spainonafork.com