Lentejas "Lentil Stew"
Lentejas is a great Spanish lentil stew. It is commonly served throughout the country in the cold months. It is really hearty and warms you up after a cold day outside. This dish is heavy, and is almost exclusively eaten for lunch. Like most traditional Spanish food, there are many slight variations on the recipe. Most use fatty pieces of ham to add flavor. I like to use chorizo sausage as it adds a little spice. I also add a little tomato sauce as it thickens up the dish a little. You see this dish range from thick stew to thin soup depending on where you go. Try this recipe, I have made it many times and everyone seems to love it. It is a breeze to make, so I hope you give it a try the next time it gets a little cold outside!
Serves: 4-6Preparation time: about 1 hour INGREDIENTS about 3 cups of blond lentils soaked for 4-5 hours 1-1/2 onion chopped 4 cloves garlic finely chopped 2 cups beef or ham stock 1 cup water 10 oz tomato sauce about 2 cups of chorizo chunks 2 TB cognac or white wine 2 ts Spanish paprika 2 laurel (bay) leaves 5 TB olive oil Salt and pepper to taste DIRECTIONS Soak the lentils in water overnight or for at least 4-5 hours. Drain and rinse the lentils. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large stock pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook until they are soft. Add the lentils and the cognac. Increase the heat to burn off the alcohol while stirring the lentils. Reduce the heat to low and add the stock, tomato sauce, laurel, chorizo, paprika and pepper. The stock already has a lot of salt, so I would wait to add more salt until the lentils are cooked. Cover the pot and slowly cook for 45 minutes or so. Check occasionally stirring and adding a little water to reach the consistency you prefer. After the lentils are cooked, check the stew to see if it needs salt. Serve hot with fresh crusty bread and enjoy!  Return from Lentil Stew to Home
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