The temperatures drop a little and it seems like the perfect excuse to return to spoon dishes. They are some of the most comforting foods, from our grandmothers' style stews to classics like Galician broth or lentils. It seems that the latter, no matter how much we try to cook them following the traditional recipe, we never manage to imitate that special flavor that the ones our mothers make have. It turns out that, according to Basque chefs, there is a trick that we overlook and that completely changes the result of the dish.
We know well that lentils are a very versatile recipe. There are those who prefer them with vegetables, those who prepare them with a little chorizo, or those who even add rice and egg. Basque chefs such as Martín Berasategui, Karlos Arguiñano and David de Jorge also have their version. To make them perfect, they recommend making first: “a stir-fry of olive oil, garlic and paprika.”
Martín Berasategui, the renowned chef with 12 Michelin stars, advises starting with about 75 grams of lentils per person and calculating approximately 200 milliliters of water for each diner. Also insist on choosing fresh lentils and controlling the liquid during cooking if we want to achieve a stew with a balanced texture and that the result is neither too dry nor too watery.
Of course, the touch is given by the refried garlic, olive oil and paprika. To do this, just heat a little oil in a frying pan, add the sliced garlic and let it cook gently until it begins to release its aroma. Then, add the Vera paprika and stir for a few seconds before removing the pan from the heat. When we have it ready, we pour it into the casserole when the lentils are already cooking with the vegetables.
David de Jorge, better known as Robin Food, also insists on the importance of refried to give extra flavor to the lentils, although his version is a little different from Berasategui's. He opts for cooking minced garlic in olive oil along with a little chilli. This way it gives a spicy touch to the dish. Of course, the cook points out that the key to this spoon dish is to prepare the base of the stew well and to do so he opts for a base of vegetables with tomato sauce and paprika.
Karlos Arguiñano, for his part, has taught us on television how to prepare lentils in many ways, with ingredients ranging from chorizo, lamb neck, pork tail to ribs. Although there is a recipe with beef needle, which is his favorite and which would be ready with about 45 minutes of cooking. To do this, the cook concentrates the entire process in the same pot: first he browns the meat and then adds the chopped vegetables, which are usually onion, carrot, garlic and green pepper, and then they let them sauté together with the meat. Then add the potato and continue with the preparation of the stew.
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