Lentil and pumpkin stew with roasted garlic (Potaje de lentejas y calabaza)

Sometimes, a stew is what you need to make your soul happy. Slow-cooked, aromatic, and warm, it is the perfect food. Here is a lovely and satisfying version.

This Spanish version is light and warming. The roasted garlic is the maon flavour bomb in the stew, aromatic and lovely. The lentils are earthy and add a soft bite. The pumpkins are soft and sweet. The green peppers and smoked paprika add all the needed subtle flavour. I loved how this all came together. With slices of crisp baguette, this was the perfect dinner meal.

This is one of my favourite cookbooks for tapas and other Spanish foods. I have cooked quite a few recipes from this very hefty cookbook, and all of them, like this one, are superb. The recipes are true to their core, full of flavour, and absolutely delicious. Combined with the fact that I absolutely love Spanish, particularly Catalan cuisine, this is a cookbook I often go to. I highly recommend this cookbook for those who want great Spanish cuisine on their tables.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

20 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon oil

2 + 2 tablespoons oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

3/4 cup green or brown lentils, soaked in 4 cups water overnight

8 cups water, chicken stock or vegetable stock

2 long green peppers, Italian, Anaheim or other, cured and sliced

2 cups pumpkin, cubed

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

A pinch saffron

1/2 teaspoon smoked hot paprika

2 large tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

1 tablespoon sherry or apple cider vinegar

Heat the oven to 375 ° F.

Wrap the garlic and olive oil in foil and seal tightly. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes util the garlic is very soft. Remove and cool.

Heat the oil in a pot and add the onions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onions are very sog=ft and translucent, but not coloured. Add the thyme and bay leaf and give the mix a quick turn. Add the garlic

Drain and wash the lentils well. Add the lentils and fry for 2-3 minutes coating in the oil well. Add the water/stock and bring to a boil. Add half the peppers and tomatoes, salt, pepper and saffron and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the pumpkin and cook for another 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and add the remaining peppers and fry on low heat until the peppers are soft. Add the paprika and give the ingredients a quick turn.

Add the tomatoes and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes until the tomatoes are broken down and you have a sauce.

Add the sauce to the stew and cook for 5 more minutes. Check both the lentils and the pumpkin, they should both be cooked but retain a soft bite. Taste for paprika and salt and adjust as needed.

Serve hot with a crusty bread to sop up the stew.