Recipe for Lentejas: A Traditional Stew With Chorizo

After reading Spanish Sabores' 13 Spanish Food to Warm You Up This Winter, I decided to share with you the recipe for another classic stew that isn't mentioned in that post but is definitely a favorite of Spanish families: lentejas.

This dish is usually enjoyed as a first course for lunch during the winter months. It is savory, easy-to-make and also full of nutrients, therefore its popularity: every family in Spain has its own version of it. Most are variations of the classic lentejas a la riojana, which includes pancetta and lard among its ingredients.

​As an expat, I know well that some traditional ingredients aren't easy to find outside of Spain, so for simplicity's sake, I have created my own recipe with stuff I can find at my local grocery store (soooo glad that chorizo has become popular in the US so I don't have to give it up!)

​My recipe is as tasty and heartwarming as the original—and it only takes one hour to make, so get ready to enjoy this hearty, authentically-Spanish meal!
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​   Prep
​10​ min 

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Cook
​50 min

Ready In
​60 min

​​Serves: 4​

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Ingredients:

​1/2 pound lentils
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 potato
1 ripe big tomato
1 sweet pepper (red or green)
1 carrot (or 2)
1 bay leaf (or 2)
1 chorizo sausage 
Sweet paprika
Olive oil
Salt ​

Tips:

To reduce the boiling time, soak the lentils in cold water for a few hours before starting. The longer you soak them, the sooner they'll be ready.
If you can't soak them, then boil the lentils for at least 45 minutes.

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Some of the remaining water will be absorbed by the lentils when you leave the stew to stand before serving, so decide whether or not to add more water accordingly while it's still boiling.

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Feel free to use more than one chorizo sausage. The more the yummier!
You can also add diced pork loin, or pancetta, and sautée them before adding the chorizo to the frying pan, then proceed with the recipe treating all meat as a whole.

​​Directions:​

1. Sort out lentils to separate stones and black ones from good ones. Rinse well with cold water. Then put lentils to the boil in a large saucepan with 1/5 gallon of water. Add salt and one bay leaf.
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2. Dice half the onion and one garlic clove, and add to the lentils. Then peel and chop the potato plus one or two carrots, and add to the lentils.
   
   
3. Peel the tomato and blend it to make juice. Add the juice to the lentils. Leave all of it boiling in medium-low heat while you make the sautée:
   
   
4. First, cut a chorizo sausage in thick slices and sauté it in plenty of olive oil on a frying pan for two or three minutes—make sure it doesn't get two crispy, it just has to get a little golden but remain juicy.
   
   
5. Put the chorizo away on a bowl, but leave the oil in the frying pan. In that oil you will sauté one diced garlic clove and half a diced onion. Add some sweet paprika. When the onion is golden,​ dice the sweet pepper  and add it to the frying pan. Sautée for about 5 minutes in medium-low heat. Then finally add the chorizo again and leave for another 3 to 5 minutes in low heat so that all the flavors blend together.
   
   
6. While you're making the sautée, keep an eye on the stew. The water should be going down gradually and the lentils getting more and more flavor. Add salt if necessary. 
   
   
7. When you estimate the lentils are done (should be mostly soft, and tasty), add the sauté. Leave everything boiling together in medium heat for another 10 minutes or until lentils are "al dente" and the stew has the desired flavor. Then remove from heat, and leave to stand for 15 minutes before serving.​​

Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it went in the comments!