Lentil Stew

Ingredients

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• Lentils: green lentils are my first choice as they keep their shape and bite despite the time the stew is simmering. After that, I opt for dry brown lentils. My experience with canned and red lentils is that they disintegrate too quickly and tend to become mushy.
• Stock or broth: use any type you like, homemade or store-bought. I tend towards chicken or vegetable broth. It's a main flavor component.
• Bacon: slices of bacon are diced or cut into strips and added to the lentil stew. The fats render while the pot simmers away, and the flavor it lends is unique. It makes the stew rich and smoky. Use your favorite type of bacon.
• Canned tomatoes: is a main ingredient that adds flavor and acidity.
• Vegetables: it uses the traditional carrot, onion, and celery trio for flavor. Red peppers add extra sweetness and spice. I sometimes add sweet potato, a small one, that helps to balance the fat and spiciness. But it's optional. Many people don't like it.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
• Black pepper and paprika: they add flavor and spiciness.
• Parsley: it's added as a garnish at the end and you can eat this lentil stew without it, but I recommend it.
• Oil: use any type you want, including coconut and olive oil. I like sunflower oil.

See the recipe card towards the end of this post for quantities.

Type of lentils

• Dry lentils - they need to be soaked in cool water for an hour or two hours before using them. Otherwise, they take forever and never quite soften as they should. Some brands might take longer. It's an extra step but I recommend them as they will endure the time it takes for the stew to be ready and reheating it.
• Canned brown lentils - there are different types and none are really good for a lentil stew since they need to cook together with the rest of the ingredients for a while and they tend to turn mushy and many may disintegrate.
• Quick-cooking brown lentils - they are a compromise between the two types mentioned above. My experience is that brands vary, some can hold their shape and bite and others turn to mush too quickly. So, unless you're familiar with them, use dry ones.
• Red lentils: they cook too fast and explode easily. I don't recommend them for this. They do make for an amazing lentil squash soup.

Names may vary in each country, but you should not use yellow or orange lentils (the ones labeled Turkish) as they cook too quickly. So go for the sturdy, old-fashioned lentil.

Variations & substitutions

• Spicy: add hot paprika or some other type of hot spice.
• Sausage: it's common to see lentil stew recipes using Spanish sausage in many countries. It has peppers and pork, a dark reddish color, and a very particular flavor. You can use other types of sausage or pepperoni.
• Vegetarian lentil stew: use vegetable stock and omit the bacon.
• Spices and herbs: others can be added to the paprika, such as cumin, bay leaf, and thyme.
• Green leaf vegetables: you can add chopped kale, swiss chard, or spinach to the pot before serving it. Let it wilt a little.

How to make lentil stew

Soaking lentils: it's a great way of softening them and reducing the simmering time of the stew.

Bacon: render some fat by cooking the strips in a skillet before adding them to the stew.

Flavor base: the diced veggies are cooked first to soften and concentrate their flavor.

Simmering: the rest of the ingredients are added to the veggie base and simmered until the lentils are cooked.

Vintage Kitchen tip: if you reheat lentil stew that has been refrigerated, loosen it up by adding some stock and cook it at a low temperature until you reach the desired thickness.

Best tip for lentil stew

My top advice when it comes to lentil stew: Eat it the next day

Stews, in general, tend to be better the next day, some two days after they're made.

I like to take it even further by cooking it until it's almost done and cooking it the next day for half an hour or so, depending on how I want the lentils.

• That overnight rest deepens the flavor as only time can. The ingredients become friends and exchange subtleties until the flavor is perfect. This is especially important with the bacon. It'll lose some of its fat slowly and become part of the juices. Simply wonderful.

Storage

Important: after removing it from the stove, either serve it or transfer it to a shallower dish and put it in the refrigerator to cool down faster. It has tomatoes that might start to ferment, ruining the whole stew.

• Room temperature: it's not recommended due to the reason above.
• Refrigerator: it keeps well for several days in a shallow or not very deep airtight container. Don't store the hot stew directly in a closed container; let it cool down first.
• Freezer: after cooling, transfer it to a freezer-proof container or a Ziploc-style bag and keep it frozen for a month. If using a bag, make sure it's not near a sharp edge or something that can rip it or you'll have a leaking bag when you defrost it.