Adapted
from http://www.everyday-vegetarian-recipes.com/lentil-stew-recipe.html, itself based on a recipe
from the fantastic book ‘Olive Trees and Honey’ by Gil Marks.
I
first had a version of this made by the wonderful Alli. It tastes so rich and
complex, and when I asked for the recipe I was amazed about how simple it
actually was to make. It turns out that it is a traditional Egyptian dish,
which I suppose makes sense – you wouldn’t make a dish this tasty and just
forget about it. This makes an
excellent vegan main course as part of a Middle-Eastern themed dinner, freezes
and reheats very nicely too. Serve with a dish of tahini sauce for vegans, or
thick labneh mixed with za’atar and olive oil for dairy consumers.
Pomegranate
molasses is one of my favourite ingredients to work with at the moment. I
normally use it with tahini, with aubergines, or roasted fish, but this
is the first time I have cooked with it in this way. It is easier to find than
you might think, and not very expensive.
These quantities about 8 big servings. When I made this dish it
was served with a Persian-style baked rice made by Becky, with fried onions and
potatoes, and a crunchy top.
Ingredients
500g brown lentils, rinse and drain the lentils well.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, diced not too fine
4 cloves of roughly crushed and chopped garlic (this is significantly
less garlic than in the original recipe – crushing is important as apparently it
releases all the heart healthy benefits of garlic more than just chopping)
1 heaped tsp of ground cumin (toast and grind cumin seeds if you
have time)
1 tsp ground coriander (toast and grind coriander seeds if you
have time)
1.25 litres of water – will probably need a bit more later on in
the cooking process
2 bay leaves
Big bag of spinach – 350g in Asda - big bags in Sainsburys are 260g
4 tbsp pomegranate molasses – you may want to add a little more
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
Salt and pepper – it will need more salt than you think
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, and fry the
onion slowly on a medium heat for 5-8 minutes until soft. Add in the garlic,
cumin and coriander, turn the heat down a bit and cook for a few more minutes,
stir every now and again to make sure that the garlic doesn’t burn.
Next add the water, lentils and bay. Cover and bring to the
boil, then turn the heat right down and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the
lentils are soft. Stir the pot every ten minutes or so to make sure nothing is
sticking to the bottom, and add a little bit more water if it looks to dry.
When the lentils are done, stir in the spinach and let it sit in low
heat until it wilts. Finally add the pomegranate molasses and lemon juice and
continue to cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Tastes and season with a big pinch of salt
(at least) and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
I’m sure it would be delicious served with flatbread, bulghur
wheat or plain rice too.
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