250g lentils (any colour)
100ml olive oil
1 small chorizo sliced
100g diced pancetta
3 chopped cloves of garlic
1 large onion chopped
1 pinch of saffron
1 tsp of smoked paprika
1 small red chilli
150ml red wine
500ml Essential Cuisine Chicken Stock
1 bay leaf
2 diced carrots
1 diced medium potato
Handful of chopped fresh parsley
1. Soak the lentils for half an hour. Even though small lentils in packets usually don’t need soaking, Spanish women tend to soak anyway.
2. Heat a suitable heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the olive oil and fry the chorizo and ham.
3. Add the garlic and the onions fry until browned. Stir in the saffron, paprika, chilli and the cloves.
4. Pour in the red wine and the chicken stock and add the lentils.
5. Add the bay leaf and all the vegetables, bring to the boil cover with a lid and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until the lentils are tender. You may need to add some further water, if the stew becomes too heavy the consistency should be flowing and not tight.
6. When the lentils are tender stir in the chopped parsley and season to your taste.
7. Your traditional lentejas is now ready to serve.