East-West Lentil Stew
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This was a creation on a whim. I wasn’t in the mood to cook (oh yes, this happens even to me) and Todd was coming home in 30 minutes. ย I needed something quick to make. ย I opened my freezer and saw the homemade Mexican chorizo I had made and frozen a few weeks ago. ย I also had some butternut squash that needed to be used.ย Chorizo and butternut squash…I figured the cinnamon accents and spiciness of the chorizo would complement the sweetness of the squash. I opened one of my pantry closets and a big bag of green lentils immediately caught my eye. A perfect ingredient to bind the other two together.
I sauteed some onion and garlic in olive oil and browned the chorizo in it, added the diced squash and let it caramelize a bit, then added the lentils, a little celery, some chicken stock, a bay leaf, freshly ground pepper and salt, and some…why not?…curry powder (I reasoned that the cinnamon in the chorizo would complement the curry. And it did.) This simmered for a while and my kitchen was soon filled with a lovely sweet and spicy aroma. ย I added some Swiss chard in at the end for some added color, texture and nutrition. ย It was delicious!
So having combined the Eastern influence of Indian curry powder with the sweet and spicy Western accents of Mexican chorizo, I ended up with what I simply named East-West Lentil Stew. An unusual combination that worked really well. ย A hearty, satisfying lentil stew for a cold winter’s evening (it’s still technically winter, you know…at least until tomorrow ;)
AND here is another use for that wonderful homemade Mexican chorizo!
East-West Lentil Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 small onion , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/4 lb Mexican chorizo , click link for easy homemade chorizo!
- 2 cups butternut squash , diced
- 1 stalk celery , diced
- 1 cup lentils
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp curry powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup Swiss chard , thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a heavy pot or Dutch oven saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent, add the chorizo and brown, add the squash and celery and saute for another 2 minutes, add the lentils, stock, bay leaf, curry powder, and salt and pepper. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are soft. Add the Swiss chard and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve hot.
Nutrition