ALGERIA
Lentil Stew INGREDIENTS
1 cup lentils ½ cup red lentils 2 large tomatoes 1 large onion 1 medium carrot ½ leek ½ stalk celery
3 cloves garlic 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil unrefined sea salt 1 cup white wine (can be substituted with vegetable stock) 4 cups vegetable stock
METHOD
Soak lentils in 4 cups of water for 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse well. Rinse the red lentils and drain well. Set aside. To prepare the tomatoes, bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Remove the core from the tomatoes and make an “X” pattern at the bottom. When the water is boiling, lower the tomatoes and blanch for 10 seconds to loosen the skin. Then with a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes into an ice bath. Finely chop the onion, carrot, leek, celery and garlic. Then peel, de-seed and finely chop the tomatoes. Heat a large stock pot over low-medium heat. Add the olive oil followed by the onions and sea salt. Cook the onions until soft and translucent. Then add the carrots and celery, cook for about 5 minutes, and then add the leeks and cook for another 3 minutes. Finally, add the garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes to extract the liquid. Add the white wine and the lentils. Let the wine reduce by half for about 5 minutes, and add the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat. Cover slightly and cook for about 30-45 minutes until the lentils are tender. To serve the soup, season with salt and pepper if necessary. Add more water if mixture is too thick. Ladle onto individual soup bowls, serve hot and enjoy.
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