Spanish Braised Lentils

January 29, 2009

Note: I am trying a new recipe post style.  I always felt my old one was repetitive, so I’m cutting out the narrative-style recipe and hopefully enlarging the introduction and notes. Please let me know what you think. Update: After writing the post, I realize the pictures in the recipe at the bottom make it difficult to print.  Do you like the step-by-step pictures?  Should I just do pictures of interesting things and the final dish?  I will ponder this issue.

Adriana suggested on Friday that I try a lentil dish to make ahead for work lunches and late dinners.  I found one that sounded pretty delicious in Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian – Braised Lentils, Spanish Style.  Unfortunately, this one turned out similarly to my first lentil attempt – decent, but not good.

What went wrong?

My first mistake was my choice of Paprika, the main spice of the dish.  I was standing in the IGA down the street and was faced with a few options: McCormick’s, Spice Islands, some fancy Hungarian tin, and…Spice Supreme?  This last one caught my eye, mainly because it was a giant container (4.75 oz) for only $1.

I should have known it was too good to be true.  On the reasoning that I’d only be out a dollar if it were poor, I picked it up.  I mean, it claimed to be 100% pure Pimenton.  When I arrived back and my apartment and stuck my finger in to taste it, I was surprised how bland it really was.  There was little flavor, and the flavor it did have was not particularly enticing.

My guess is that the poor quality of the Paprika was the major culprit in the failure of the dish.  Lesson learned.

Notes and Tips

• Use a high quality smoked Paprika, as it has a serious effect on the final taste.
• Does anyone actually have Saffron?
• This dish requires little work; just chop the veggies, sauté for a few minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and let them simmer.
• I’m beginning to see a pattern in a few braises I’ve done: mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery), red wine, and bay leaf.  Is this a pretty standard braising liquid for beef (and apparently legumes too)?

Recipe

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. crumbled saffron threads (optional – I didn’t have these.)
• 1 Tbsp. (good) smoked Spanish paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock/broth
• 1 cup dried brown lentils, washed and picked clean of any debris
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

1

Put a medium to large pot over medium heat.  Add the oil and heat it until shimmering.  Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté until the onion is soft – approximately 5 minutes depending on the size of your pot and the hotness of your stove.

2

Add the garlic, saffron, and paprika.  Cook it for about a minute.

3

Add the bay leaf, red wine, stock/broth, lentils, and salt and pepper.  Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil.  Once boiling, cover the pot partially, turn the heat down to medium-low, and simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.  Stir it occasionally while simmering and add more water/stock if it gets too dry.

4

Season again with salt and pepper until just right, then garnish with parsley and serve over rice.

Posted in Failures, Recipes |