This is a really famous Spanish dish. It literally translates as “lentils” in English, but clearly this is a lot more than just lentils. I’m not sure where the dish comes from, but it is always on the menu at the six million restaurants here in Madrid, by the way that’s about a ratio of approximately two restaurants per person…
They call these types of dishes “spoon food” for obvious reasons. It is a kind of soupy dish really although apparently traditionally “lentejas” was served not like a soup but with very thick stew like consistency, so I think that means that they would have cooked the lentils for longer.
The lentils used here are dried, but the kind that you actually don’t have to leave soaking over night. Many thanks to Tatiana for the recipe!
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 2 leeks (finely chopped)
- 1 green pepper (diced)
- lentils (smallest kind) 1 small coffee cup per person.
- 2 medium sized potatoes (halved)
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 2 tbsp of tomato purée
- 2 cloves of garlic very finely chopped or puréed
- chorizo (optional)
- spicy paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- water
- vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- olive oil
Method
In a large pan fry the onion and the green pepper in some olive oil for about 5 minutes, then add the leeks and fry for a further couple of minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients and cover with 1/2 water and 1/2 vegetable stock. be quite generous, so that means double the amount of liquid to the rest of the ingredients. Cover with a lid and simer for an hour. About 5 minutes before the lentils are cooked, add the chorizo (halved) and cook for about 5 minutes longer. Serve with crusty bread and red wine.
The Pear Tree 