Essential ingredients: red split lentils, ground cumin, onion, dried mint, Turkish chilli flakes, oil, salt, pepper
Useful additions: stock, tomato paste, celery, carrot, easily wilted greens eg spinach/radish tops/chard
To finish: something to sour it - a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a dollop of yoghurt, or a sprinkle of sumac all work well
Another one where the quantities vary - make it as thick or as thin as you like, add lots of vegetables or none but the essential onion.
Finely chop the onion and garlic and saute it until soft (also add finely chopped celery and carrot if you're using them). Stir in the tomato paste if you're using it, and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the ground cumin and stir until the scent is released. Add the red split lentils and cover with water or stock; add a teaspoonful of Turkish chilli and 3 - 4 teaspoonfuls or so of dried mint (not fresh, which has a very different flavour). Simmer until the lentils disintegrate: should take half an hour or so. If you like you can wilt some shredded greens into the soup at this stage.
Season with salt and black pepper, and finish with lemon/yoghurt/sumac and some more Turkish chilli flakes if you like.
Thanks to the Verbal Privilege blog (which is fascinating but not particularly about cooking) where I originally found a version of this recipe.
Thursday 17 December 2009
Chorizo and lentil stew
This recipe is very much adapted from the Casa Moro cookery book. A large solid stew for cold weather, for a large number of people, which can be as simple or as elaborate as you like.
Basics: green or black lentils, onion, garlic, cooking chorizo (not the dried sort), chilli.
Chorizo comes in different varieties - I like picante, the spicy one, but dulce (more mildly spiced) is also good.
Lentilles de Puy are nice, but the cheaper brown/green Turkish lentils are also fine. Anything except the split sort, and they'd probably do at a push but change the nature of the dish.
I favour Turkish chilli flakes, which have a slightly salty, smoky flavour and are quite mild (sometimes also known as Aleppo pepper). You could also try a little chopped fresh chilli, Spanish powdered chilli, or paprika depending what's available. To be authentically Spanish apparently the spicing should be quite mild - I probably spice it out of all recognition.
Red pepper paste comes in sweet or hot varieties from Turkish supermarkets.
Useful additions: celery, carrot, morcilla (Spanish black pudding), tomato or red pepper paste, bay leaf, chopped parsley or coriander to finish.
Other additions which would also work: red pepper, a glass of red wine or cider
Quantities: depends on how many people you have to feed and how much money you have to spend on chorizo - you could make this very lentil-heavy, very meaty, or with lots of additional vegetables, depending on your taste and budget.
Best place to buy chorizo and morcilla in London: Brindisa at Borough Market
Chop onions and garlic finely (and any other vegetables you're using) and saute gently. When they've softened, add chopped chorizo (it's easiest to chop it with scissors, as it's squashy and surprisingly hard to slice) and saute until it starts going brown and the red oil is seeping out. If you want to add tomato or pepper paste, add a tablespooonful or so now and stir for a couple of minutes. After this, add a glass of wine or cider if you like, and simmer briskly until the liquid is well reduced.
Then add lentils, black pepper (and bay leaf if you have one), cover with water, put the lid on and leave to simmer until the lentils are almost done and the liquid is absorbed. You don't need salt, as the chorizo is quite salty. At this point, poach the morcilla on top of the stew - they're quite fragile so turn them over gently until they're cooked on all sides. When you put it in the serving dish or on people's plates, add a sprinkle of chopped parsley or coriander if you like. You can also thicken this with bulghur or rice if you like at an earlier stage.
Good with plain boiled rice or bread, and greens or salad.
Basics: green or black lentils, onion, garlic, cooking chorizo (not the dried sort), chilli.
Chorizo comes in different varieties - I like picante, the spicy one, but dulce (more mildly spiced) is also good.
Lentilles de Puy are nice, but the cheaper brown/green Turkish lentils are also fine. Anything except the split sort, and they'd probably do at a push but change the nature of the dish.
I favour Turkish chilli flakes, which have a slightly salty, smoky flavour and are quite mild (sometimes also known as Aleppo pepper). You could also try a little chopped fresh chilli, Spanish powdered chilli, or paprika depending what's available. To be authentically Spanish apparently the spicing should be quite mild - I probably spice it out of all recognition.
Red pepper paste comes in sweet or hot varieties from Turkish supermarkets.
Useful additions: celery, carrot, morcilla (Spanish black pudding), tomato or red pepper paste, bay leaf, chopped parsley or coriander to finish.
Other additions which would also work: red pepper, a glass of red wine or cider
Quantities: depends on how many people you have to feed and how much money you have to spend on chorizo - you could make this very lentil-heavy, very meaty, or with lots of additional vegetables, depending on your taste and budget.
Best place to buy chorizo and morcilla in London: Brindisa at Borough Market
Chop onions and garlic finely (and any other vegetables you're using) and saute gently. When they've softened, add chopped chorizo (it's easiest to chop it with scissors, as it's squashy and surprisingly hard to slice) and saute until it starts going brown and the red oil is seeping out. If you want to add tomato or pepper paste, add a tablespooonful or so now and stir for a couple of minutes. After this, add a glass of wine or cider if you like, and simmer briskly until the liquid is well reduced.
Then add lentils, black pepper (and bay leaf if you have one), cover with water, put the lid on and leave to simmer until the lentils are almost done and the liquid is absorbed. You don't need salt, as the chorizo is quite salty. At this point, poach the morcilla on top of the stew - they're quite fragile so turn them over gently until they're cooked on all sides. When you put it in the serving dish or on people's plates, add a sprinkle of chopped parsley or coriander if you like. You can also thicken this with bulghur or rice if you like at an earlier stage.
Good with plain boiled rice or bread, and greens or salad.
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