Name: Lentil and Pumpkin Stew with Roasted Garlic (Potaje de Lentejas y Calabaza)
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 2 Italian (frying) peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped; 2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped; ½ pound pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into ¾-inch cubes; 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, preferably aged, or best-quality red wine vinegar, or more to taste; 2 medium-size onions; 1 cut in half, 1 finely chopped; 1 medium-size pinch of saffron; ½ teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika; 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley; Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper; 1 bay leaf; 1 large garlic head, plus 4 minced garlic cloves; 1 fresh thyme sprig; 1½ cups green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the garlic; 8 to 9 cups water or chicken broth, or more as needed

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The New Spanish Table

By Anya von Bremzen

Published 2005

About

This nourishing potaje flavored with fresh and roasted garlic makes a terrific vegetarian entrée. If you prefer it more full-bodied, however, use chicken broth instead of water and feel free to add a handful of chopped pancetta to the sofrito in Step 4. You can serve the dish as a soupy first course or over rice.

Ingredients

1 large garlic head, plus 4 minced garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cut the top off the head of garlic and discard it. Brush the cut edge of the garlic with olive oil, place it in a small baking dish, and bake