Spanish traditional recipe: Lentil stew (lentejas)

Basic ingredients:

• 250 gr. lentils
• 1 chorizo (or a few slices if you can't get a small sausage-shaped one)
• 100 gr. serrano ham
• 1 large onion
• 1 small glass of red wine
• 2 cloves (optional)
• 1 red pepper (optional)
• Half a small glass of olive oil
• 1 bayleaf
• 2 large carrots
• 3 small potatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 pinch of saffron
• fresh parsley
• salt and pepper

Steps to making spanish lentils:

1. Soak the lentils for half an hour. Even though small lentils in packets usually don't need soaking, Spanish women tend to soak anyway

2. Cut the ham and chorizo into dice-shaped pieces. Peel and wash the carrots and potatoes. Slice the carrots and halve the potatoes (unless they are very small). Wash and slice a small red pepper (optional).

3. Drain the lentils and put them in a saucepan. Add enough water to cover them and add the ham, chorizo, carrots, potatoes, bayleaf, pepper, parsley, a little salt, saffron and wine. Also add the cloves if you want the lentils to have a slightly spicey air to them. Put the pan over a low heat and cover.

4. Slice the onion and garlic and fry, stirring all the time. After a minute or so, add the sliced red pepper. This is optional and adds a slightly sweet flavour to the lentejas. When soft, add to the other ingredients in the saucepan.

5. Let the lentil stew simmer for at least 40 minutes. Boil off any excess liquid at the end.

Tips and ideas: Spanish lentils

• Vegetarian Spanish lentils: To make a vegetarian version of Spanish lentil soup, just substitute the chorizo and ham for more vegetables. We recommend adding a little celery (not the leaves), 3 artichokes (without the stalk and outer leaves and cut into halves), 100gr wild mushrooms (if you can get any, otherwise normal ones, washed and sliced), a sprig of rosemary, a piece of lemon peel and a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of sweet paprika. Put all of these into the saucepan in step 3. You may also like to add a vegtable stock cube.
• Try substituting the red wine for a smaller amount of Spanish cognac.
• This Spanish lentil recipe freezes very well, so make more than you need and then freeze portions.
• If you can't get hold of any chorizo or serrano ham, substitute them with other types of spicey sausage or cured ham. You could even use bacon although this will change the traditional spanish lentils flavour.

http://www.euroresidentes.com/euroresiuk/Recipies/spanish-lentil-soup.htm