Balkan-Style Lentil Stew Recipe
My lentil stew is a hearty and nourishing dish and a good vegan and vegetarian meal option. It's made with sweet paprika, which adds lovely sweet and smoky flavours.
Equipment
- Stew pot
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups brown lentils
- 6 cups vegetable stock or water
- 8 garlic cloves chopped into larger slices
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1/2 sweet pepper chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon savoury spice or spearmint
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Let the lentils soak in cold water for 10 minutes. Peel and dice the onion. Chop the rest of the vegetables.
- Heat the oil and sauté the onion until translucent (2-3 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Sir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the chopped carrot and the pepper. Sauté until they are nearly soft.
- Add the sweet paprika to the salted vegetables, stir and cook it for 30 seconds. Pour the lentils into a sieve to dispose of the water. Rinse it well with clean water and add it to the pot. Stir to coat it in paprika and sauté it for a 1-2 minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock and the rest of the dry spices to the casserole dish. Bring the stock to the boil and simmer on moderate heat for 20 minutes until the lentils are soft. If your stock does not contain salt, add 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and celery. Simmer for further 5-10 minutes.
- To thicken the stew, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 4-5 tablespoons of stock from the stew in a bowl and stir until the flour is integrated, then add it to the stew and stir. Let the stew simmer for 10 minutes. For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free flour.
- Serve the stew piping hot. Garnished the stew with chopped parsley. Serve it piping hot, with a splash of fresh lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.