Recipe: Lentil Stew

Recipe Source: Samuelsson, Marcus.  Discovery of a Continent.  John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2007 p. 82.

When my husband travels on business, I generally wind up cooking for myself.  While I know that many people find it difficult to cook for one, I personally find it kind of liberating.  While my husband is generally an adventurous eater, there are certain foods that he just turns up his nose at.  Some of them are vegetables: any kind of squash, for example, or eggplant.  Another turn-off for him is lentils.  I'm not sure why he has such a mental aversion to these foods, especially when he usually enjoys them when they're on his plate, but as a general rule I try to experiment with those foods when he's not around to object.  I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. 

I didn't make a whole lot of changes.  I reduced the amount of olive oil, because I just don't need so much.  I used the can of tomatoes rather than fresh, chili powder instead of berbere (both of which are options presented by the author) and about 1/8 bunch cilantro instead of the 1 tablespoon parsley called for by Samuelsson.  I substituted the cilantro because it was clean and because I strongly prefer the flavor of cilantro over parsley; I increased the amount to add visual interest to the dish.  In the end, the dish came out quite well.  In fact, I served the leftovers to my husband the next night, and he enjoyed it too! 

Lentil Stew (serves 4; approx. $1.89/serving)

1 cup lentils, soaked in cold water 2 hours and drained

1/4 cup olive oil

1 red onion, minced

4 tablespoons minced jarred garlic

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup peeled fava beans

6 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/8 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment:

• Large saucepan
• Large saute pan

1. Combine the lentils with 3 cups water in the saucepan.  Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. 
3. Drain and set aside.
4. In the saute pan, heat the olive oil.
5. Add the onion and garlic.  Saute around 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. 
6. Add the remaining ingredients and heat through.
7. Serve and enjoy. 

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