Awhile back a friend gave me a great recipe for Lentil Stew, which we loved, but had to modify a little to feed everybody. As it’s one of our favorites, I offer it to you today.
Lentil Stew
Here’s how I made it. (See the bottom of the post for the actual recipe.)
Step 1: Chop up your vegetables and sauté them for a few minutes in olive oil.
Step 2: Start dumping stuff in your crockpot while the vegetables cook.
Step 3: Add 5 cloves of garlic to the vegetables and sauté for just a minute or two longer. (Don’t burn the garlic!)
By the way, do you have a garlic press? No? You need one.
Step 4: Add the vegetables and everything else to the crockpot.
Step 5: Bring it all to a boil, and then let it simmer for about thirty minutes. Then turn your crockpot down to warm until you’re ready to eat it.
And what to serve with the stew?
Salad, Anyone?
Most days I make my own salad dressing, but if I’m in a hurry or feeling lazy, I go for this because it comes with dressing.
But I have to dress it up and add more so that it feeds my family. I usually add spinach, dried cranberries, and unsalted cashews. If I’m not feeling so very lazy, and if I have it on hand, I especially love to add green onion.
Now the children generally set the table, and I always fill the salad bowls at the last minute, before we pray and sit down to eat. I’ve found this to be much less chaotic, than attempting to pass around the salad bowl with everyone making a mess. It’s just better to have the salad waiting in everyone’s bowls.
And here we are, after the salads, eating our soup.
A Note About the Wine
This evening we drank a Petite Sirah, which is not my favorite, but it paired well with this soup, because of its strong, spicy flavors.
And because I wanted to know the difference, I’ll share this with you too.
- A Petite Sirah is not a Shiraz or Syrah. A Petite Sirah is the American name for the French Durif grape, which is a cross between the Sirah and Peloursin grape. It is not a lighter version of Syrah. In fact, from what I’ve read, it’s higher in tannin, making for a bolder taste.
- Shiraz and Syrah are also full-bodied red wines, but these are made from the Syrah grape. Shiraz is made exclusively in Australia.
- Shiraz and Syrah wines pair well with barbecue and barbecue sauce, especially spareribs. Petite Sirahs need rich or fatty foods with exotic spices. (Hence, the Lentil Stew did do nicely.)
Recipe for Lentil Stew
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
carrots, chopped
5 stalks of celery, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of broth
3 cans petite tomatoes
2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 oz.) package of lentils
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp salt
Directions:
Sauté vegetables in olive oil for a few minutes. Add garlic for a minute or two more. Combine everything else in a crockpot and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for about thirty minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked.
Note: This is a great recipe for meatless Fridays. I will, however, frequently add meat, if I’ve got some on hand. For example, today I added a few cups of chopped ham. I’ve also done sausage and bacon too.
*No wine, of course! (I hadn’t poured it yet.) And the silverware does not match, but that cannot be helped.
