Name: Brown Lentil Stew with Smoked Paprika
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large yellow onion, finely diced; 2 carrots, finely diced; 2 stalks celery, finely diced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera); 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 cup dried brown or green lentils, rinsed; 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes; 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock; 2 bay leaves; 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar); Kosher salt and pepper; Thick whole-milk yogurt, chopped parsley, and good olive oil, to serve

Brown lentils are one of the great pantry ingredients. They cook in 30 minutes without soaking, they hold their shape, and they take on whatever flavors you put around them. This stew leans Spanish — smoked paprika, garlic, bay, a splash of sherry vinegar — but the basic technique works in a dozen directions.

The smoked paprika is non-negotiable. Use a good Spanish brand (pimentón de la Vera) and use it generously. It is what makes the stew taste like more than the sum of its parts.

A dollop of cold thick yogurt at the table — sour cream works too — cuts through the warmth and ties everything together. Do not skip it.

Ingredients

Serves 6

2 tbspolive oil
1 largeyellow onion, finely diced
2carrots, finely diced
2 stalkscelery, finely diced
4garlic cloves, minced
2 tbspsweet smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera)
1 tspground cumin
1 cupdried brown or green lentils, rinsed
1 (14 oz)can crushed tomatoes
6 cupsvegetable or chicken stock
2bay leaves
1 tbspsherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
to tastekosher salt and pepper
to servethick whole-milk yogurt, chopped parsley, good olive oil

Equipment. A 4- to 6-quart heavy pot. A Dutch oven is ideal.

Method

Sweat the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and just starting to color, about 10 minutes.
Bloom the spices. Add the garlic, paprika and cumin. Stir constantly for one minute — you should smell the spices wake up. Do not let the garlic burn.
Build the stew. Add the lentils, tomatoes, stock and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and partially cover. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
Adjust. Stir in the vinegar. Taste and add salt — the stew will need a generous pinch. Add black pepper.
Serve. Ladle into bowls. Top each with a generous spoonful of cold yogurt, a sprinkle of parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with crusty bread.

A pantry stew is a state of mind. You start with what you have and end with dinner for a week.

Notes & substitutions

Lentils Brown or green lentils both work. Do not use red lentils — they will disintegrate.
Make ahead The stew is better on the second day. It keeps four days refrigerated, and freezes well for two months.
Add greens Stir in a few large handfuls of baby spinach or chopped kale at the end. Cook until just wilted.
Heat A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes with the paprika is welcome.