Recipe: Lentils & Greens Stew

[Guest guest]

The CSA has started up once again, and this time of year we get a lot of cooking

greens. Found this recipe to use them, and have made it twice so far this year.

 

1 1/2 cups dried lentils

8 cups water

1 1/2 pounds greens

1 teaspoon oil

1 cup onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon chili pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

 

Rinse the lentils well and bring them to a boil in 8 cups of water. Lower the

heat to simmer and cook gently for 45 minutes. The lentils can be cooked in

advance.

 

You can use any of your favorite greens in this recipe, including spinach, Swiss

chard, or any variety of kale. Clean the greens by rinsing thoroughly with

water. If using kale, pull off the leafy part from the tough inner stem and

discard the stem. Chop the leafy greens in to large bite-sized chunks. It will

look like a lot of greens but they will shrink significantly during cooking.

 

In a skillet, heat the oil and sauté the onions and the garlic. If you need to

save time, the raw onions and raw garlic can be added directly to the lentils

and cooked in the first step. However, the flavor of the caramelized onions and

garlic is very nice and will enhance this stew. Sauté for about 5 minutes, then

add to the pot of cooked lentils.

 

Next, add the tomato paste. Unlike the onions and garlic, you should never add

tomato products to beans while they are cooking because the acidity of the

tomatoes could slow down the cooking time of the beans. Next, add the parsley,

curry powder, salt, crushed pepper, ground cumin, and the chopped greens. Stir

well so that the leafy greens are completely covered and cook over medium heat

for another 15 minutes. If the stew is thicker than you want, add water as

needed to get the consistency you desire. Serve with a chunk of cornbread or

crusty Italian bread.

 

I'd like to add some variations I've made: remove and chop the stems from the

greens & saute along with the onions & garlic. Omit the parsley. Use a curry

paste instead of the powdered spices.

 

This is so good, tastes even better reheated!

 

Enjoy,

 

Ellen