It’s time for another Ina Garten recipe and she found this treasure in a book called Spa Food by Edward J. Safdie. I do love lentils and often use them in soups, stews and such. Whenever Ina worked at the Barefoot Contessa many years ago she would make huge pots of this. It’s got to be good don’t you think? It was too and besides it’s healthy and lentils have no sulphur!
Love the curry seasoning in this stew…
I enjoyed the bigger chunks of carrots and onions, soft with a little bite!
Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 2 cups large-diced yellow onions
- 2 cups large-diced carrots
- 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
- 1 (26 oz.) can whole plum tomatoes, peeled
- 1 cup French green lentils
- 2 cups chicken stock, homemade preferred
- 2 tsp. mild curry powder (I didn’t know curry could be mild, I just buy what the grocery sells)
- 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp. kosher salt (I used 1-1/2 tsp.)
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, stir in right before serving
- Parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)
- crusty bread to serve
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and carrots and cook for 10-15 minutes until the onion softens and the carrots are still firm. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute.
Place the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse several times until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Of course you could always do this with your hands. Rinse the lentils and remove any stones. Even though they say you don’t need to soak lentils and they did cook an hour, I found some that were a little tough. I will soak them for a few hours before cooking as I don’t want to add cooking time as that would be too much for the vegetables, especially the carrots.
Add the tomatoes, lentils, chicken broth, thyme leaves, salt and pepper to the pan. Raise the heat and bring to a boil; lower the heat and simmer covered for about 40 minutes until the lentils are tender; stirring occasionally. I found a few lentils that were a little tough so you might want to cook longer. Remove from the heat and allow the lentils to sit covered for another 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and adjust any seasonings. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan (optional) and serve with a good crusty bread.
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
The ingredients…
A healthy meal for lunch or dinner…
All things are good in this recipe, perfect for the snow we’ll be seeing very soon…
Yes, that’s what I thought Ron. A healthy recipe that will warm your tummy 🙂
This lentil stew is perfect for the colder days ahead. It reminds me of my grandmother’s recipe, minus the curry powder, which I’m not sure about pairing Parmesan cheese. I guess I need to give it a try and decide if it works for me. 🙂
It really is good Ronit – the curry powder I would add to taste depending on how hot your curry powder is. Didn’t know there are different levels of heat! I used the full 2 tsp. and I probably would use less next time at least with the curry powder I have 🙂 I added the Parmesan (not in recipe) as I always enjoy a few shakes on most of my soups!
Thanks for the update, I’ll try it with the curry powder. I’ll add a bit of Parmesan to a small amount first, the decide. 🙂
My ingredients list “mild curry” which I didn’t know there were different levels. My grocery store version doesn’t say but if you go online you can buy “mild curry” 🙂
I usually use a Japanese curry powder (S&B) that I like, and it’s fairly mild. I think it’ll work well here. 🙂
Thanks for the info Ronit – I learn something new every day 🙂
Same here! 🙂
Lovely and hearty. I’d have to add a big blog of sour cream to this!
Great addition 🙂
I do like lentils! And I prefer a hotter curry powder or paste.
Me too Sherry! It all depends on the curry powder 🙂
This does sound good, I’ve been on the search for green lentils since I used my last bag. I may have to order them on line.