Spicy Lentil Tomato Stew Food

SPICY TOMATO AND LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Lightly brown the onions in the oil. Add the tomatoes, chili pepper, lentils, cumin and basil to the pan along with the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
• When the lentils have softened, use a stick blender to puree the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For a special touch, put sour cream in a squirt bottle, and squeeze a spiral onto the top of each bowl of soup, and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil.

SPICY LENTIL TOMATO STEW

Steps:

• Optionally, you can soak the lentils in cold water before you start the prep for this. Drain them before you add them to the soup.
• Mince the onion, celery, and garlic. Peel and mince the carrot.
• Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, for 6 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes.
• Sprinkle on the spices, and stir.
• Make a space in the middle of the pot, and add the tomato paste. Mix everything together until a thick paste forms.
• Add the chopped tomatoes with their juice and stir.
• Add the chicken broth and water and stir.
• Add the lentils. Bring to a boil, then back the heat off to a simmer. Simmer for 30 - 45 minutes, stirring often.
• Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice, and puree to desired consistency. (I like it left slightly chunky.).
• Add pepper to taste.
• POSSIBLE GARNISHES:.
• Lemon zest / freshly squeezed lemon juice.
• Plain yogurt blended with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley or cilantro.

SOUTH INDIAN SPICY LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the dahl, tomatoes, okra, carrots, potatoes, tumeric, salt and tamarind paste or lemon juice. Stir and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook until the dahl is tender--approximately 30 minutes; add more water if necessary.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy skillet, heat the oil and lightly fry the ground cilantro and cumin over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, chile and curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes, covering the skillet as the seeds pop. Add the fried spices to the cooked dahl and vegetables. Add the sambhar masala and mix well.
• The stew can be prepared up to 2 hours in advance.

SPICY ROOT & LENTIL CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion and garlic over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Tip in the potatoes, carrots and parsnips, turn up the heat and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables are golden.
• Stir in the curry paste or powder, pour in the stock and then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, add the lentils, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils and vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened.
• Stir in most of the coriander, season and heat for a minute or so.Top with yogurt and the rest of the coriander. Serve with naan bread.

SPICY ETHIOPIAN RED LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add ginger and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in tomato paste and Berbere spice; cook 1 minute, stirring to combine. Gradually add broth, stirring with a whisk until blended. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a simmer.
• Rinse lentils in cold water; drain. Add lentils to broth mixture; simmer, partially covered, 35 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve over rice.

SPICY LENTIL & CHICKPEA STEW

Steps:

• In a small skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, oregano and pepper flakes; cook and stir until onion is tender, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker., Add chickpeas, lentils, olives and paprika; stir in broth and tomato sauce. Cook, covered, on low 8-10 hours, until lentils are tender. Stir in spinach. Top servings with yogurt.

SPICY LENTIL AND SWEET POTATO STEW WITH CHIPOTLES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it softens, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic smells fragrant, about 30 seconds, and add the ground cumin seeds and carrots. Stir together for a minute, then add the lentils, water, sweet potatoes, chipotles, tomato paste, salt to taste and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 40 to 45 minutes, until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender and the broth fragrant. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the cilantro or parsley, simmer for another minute, and serve, passing lime wedges so diners can season their lentils with a squeeze of lime juice if desired.

SPICY-SAUSAGE AND LENTIL STEW WITH ESCAROLE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add sausage, carrots, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up sausage into bite-size pieces, until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, 3 cups water, and lentils. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss escarole with lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Top stew with escarole salad, drizzle with more oil, and serve.

LENTIL AND TOMATO STEW

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, combine lentils, water, onion, half the garlic, and bouquet garni. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Add salt to taste, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 25 minutes, until lentils are cooked through but still have some texture. They should not be mushy. Taste and adjust salt. Using tongs, remove onion and bouquet garni.
• Meanwhile, make tomato sauce in a separate pan. Heat oil over medium heat and add garlic. When it smells fragrant but before it browns, after about 30 seconds of sizzling, add tomatoes and stir together. Add sugar, salt, and basil sprigs and turn heat to medium-high so tomatoes come to a brisk simmer. Turn heat down to medium and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down to thick, fragrant sauce, about 20 minutes. Remove basil sprigs.
• If using unpeeled tomatoes and a food mill, put sauce through fine blade of the mill. Add tomato sauce to lentils, stir together, cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes. The mixture should be fairly thick, a stew rather than a soup. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. Stir in slivered basil.
• Serve in wide bowls, over optional garlic bruschette. Sprinkle Parmesan over each serving if desired.

POTATO-LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, saute onion and carrots in oil for 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, garlic, cumin and oregano; cook 1 minute longer., Stir in broth and lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 to 22 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in the tomatoes, potatoes, beans, salt and pepper. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.

SPICY LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Pick over lentils. In a bowl soak lentils in water to cover 1 hour. Wrap cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods in a small square of cheesecloth and with kitchen string tie into a bundle. Separately chop onions and tomatoes. Wearing rubber gloves, seed and devein chile and finely chop.
• In a 4-quart kettle cook onions in oil with cheesecloth bundle over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened. Stir in tomatoes, chile, garlic, masala, cumin, coriander seeds, and turmeric and simmer 10 minutes.
• Drain lentils in a sieve and add to onion mixture with 4 cups water. Simmer mixture, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep ingredients just covered with liquid, until lentils are very soft, about 40 minutes.
• Cut zucchini into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Discard cheesecloth bundle and arrange zucchini in an even layer on top of curry. Cook curry, covered, until zucchini is tender about 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle curry with cilantro and serve over rice.
• *Available at East Indian markets and some specialty food shops.