German Lentil Stew, I think that is everyone's favorite in Germany.
To funny, I think I say that with every stew, haha.
But serious, I think lentil stew is on top. I never met a German in my life who didn't like lentil stew.
Kids love it, adults love it, everyone loves it!
Actually, I kind of dedicate this recipe to Anneliese!
Anneliese was our neighbor downstairs at my parents place. Anneliese was an older woman.
We all in our area were good friends. And Anneliese was kind of a granny to me. She reminded me at my granny a lot.
She was skinny like my granny and also had this long and skinny fingers what reminded me so much at my granny.
Anneliese loved lentil stew. And every time we ask her what is up for dinner, she either said:
Lentil stew or cabbage rolls.
And she always also was well stocked with ready to eat lentil stews from the tin.
So she really never ran out of Lentil stew!
And when our pub we all visited regular offered lentil stew, guess who was up for a serve, haha
And because of that, we actually renamed her "Lentil-Liese".
It sometimes was not easy with her, but I loved her anyway.
And I like to think at the time I spend at her place.
Lentil Liese, this is for you :-)
It's a great hearty dish - with a sweet and sour flavor.
Most Germans even serve this stew up with sugar and a bottle of vinegar on the table.
This maybe sounds weird to season a hearty stew with vinegar and sugar, but trust me, this is SO good.
Mum always put sugar and vinegar on the table.
I don't serve it up this way anymore. Because I already season the complete stew with a sweet and sour flavor.
But decent. When someone wants the sweet and sour stronger, of course sugar and vinegar is always in my kitchen.
When I did the detox program, I switched the vinegar with lemon juice. It works as well, but different.
But if you really want to not use vinegar, lemon juice should work as well.
But remember,... it is not vinegar what is bad,... it is excessive vinegar consumption.
My dish does not contain to much - also considering that you don't eat the whole pot in once, haha.
But I leave that up to you. My recipe is with apple cider vinegar. But feel free to use lemon juice.
I think you just have to adjust it. Just have a taste and see if it is a nice sweet and sour balance.
I also used dry lentils for my stew. You feel free to use tinned lentils.
Don't use red or yellow lentils. You need the European green/brown lentils!
Ingredients:
375g dry lentils - soaked in water for 1-2 hours
70g leek - halved, and halved the half (how funny explained lol) sliced up
200g carrot - cubed
100g stalk celery - cubed
500g waxy potatoes - cubed
60g onion - chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp white pepper
1,5 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1,5 tbsp certified organic apple cider vinegar
1,5 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1,4l filtered water
Directions:
1. soak your lentils in water for an hour.
2. prepare all the veggies.
3. heat some olive oil in a bigger pot and add the onion. Fry until fragrant.
Add potatoes, carrot, celery and leek. Fry on higher heat for about 5-10 minutes.
Stir regular.
4. add tomato paste and spices - stir to combine.
5. deglaze with the water and add the lentils.
6. bring to the boil and turn down the heat to a simmer.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
7. add vinegar and maple syrup.
Simmer for further 45 minutes.
8. turn off heat and use a masher to mash the stew a little bit up.
Just a little to thicken the stew. But don't make a mash, haha.
9. leave stew for a rest. Best is to cook it ahead. As more rest, as better the flavors.
10. the original is served with Vienna sausages/Frankfurts.
I like to use smoked tofu. I just fry up some plain smoked tofu with some salt.
This step is optional. You also can add any vegan sausage you like.
11. ENJOY - Guten Appetit :-)
Good to know....
...lentils are a great source of Folate, Copper and Zinc.
They are also rich in Iron, what is so important for our blood.
Lentils are also a great source of magnesium and Vitamin B6.
This little things really are perfect for our body.
Very low in fat, high in carbs.
Phosphorus what is needed for our bones and calcium and magnesium absorption.
And on top, it is a high source of fiber - what is needed for a good bowel movement.
Lentils contain a broad range of beneficial plant compounds called phytochemicals,
many of which protect against chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes
A lot of countries in this world have lentils as staple foods.
Turkey and some Arabic countries are the biggest lentil producers and users. Next to India.
And the most important part,... they taste fantastic! Stews, soups, salads,... perfect.