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Lentejas (Spanish lentil soup)
This lentejas recipe comes straight from Spain and was lovingly made by my Spanish grandmother. When I was younger, I spent many happy hours in her kitchen listening to the fragrant aromas and lovingly prepared meals. This is a traditional, hearty and fulfilling dish that goes particularly well with cold winter days.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups green lentils
- 1 large chopped onion
- 2 diced carrots
- 4 chopped cloves of garlic
- 1 green Paprika, diced
- 2 cut tomatoes
- 200 Gram Chorizo, cut into slices
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 Teaspoon paprika powder
- 6 Cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
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Directions
To cook the lentejas recipe, soak the lentils in plenty of water and leave to stand for an hour. This helps the lentils to soften and reduces the cooking time.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion, carrots, garlic and paprika and sauté for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft. The addition of paprika at this point allows the flavors of the spice to fully come through.
Add the tomatoes and chorizo to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes. Searing the chorizo releases the spicy aroma and gives the soup a unique flavor.
Add the soaked and drained lentils, bay leaves, paprika and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. From this point on, you only need to stir occasionally and leave the soup to simmer on a low heat.
Cover the pan and cook the Spanish lentil soup over a low heat for about 60 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Make sure that the soup does not boil over: it should only simmer gently.