I’ve ad a bag of lentils in my cupboard or MONTHS now. I’ve been meaning to make lentil soup since about… January and it never quite happened. I bought the ingredients so many times but I never got it together! I don’t remember what I was reading the other day but it involved a tagine which intrigued me. I had a vague memory of seeing this recipe for a lentil and mushroom tagine in the and figured I’d give it a go.
I fully admit that this isn’t such a summery recipe – something about mushrooms don’t scream summer to me. This recipe was just okay. It kind of lacked spice. There was too much tomato flavour and not enough meaty mushroom flavour. If I were to make this again I would probably add more cumin and maybe cayenne or paprika. I would also consider changing the mushroom ratios so that there are less white button mushrooms and more of the flavourful ones.
I served this over couscous which seemed like an appropriate pairing.
Lentil and Mushroom Tagine
3 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, mined (1 ½ tsp)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
3 cups chopped white button mushrooms
1 ½ cups chopped Portobello mushroom caps
1 cup chopped shiitake mushroom caps
1/8 cup tomato paste
1 ½ tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp cumin
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 cups lentils
1 ½ cups vegetable stock (more as needed)
2 cups canned diced tomatoes, with their juice
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sliced assorted bell peppers
1 lb fresh spinach, washed and stemmed
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
Choose a large Dutch oven, non-stick pot or pan with a close fitting lid. Sauté the onions in olive oil over medium-high heat, and cook til they’re light golden brown, ~5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, and celery, continue to sauté until the vegetables are tender. Add all the mushrooms and the tomato paste, vinegar, paprika, cumin, and fennel seeds. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lentils, vegetable stock, diced tomatoes, salt, ground pepper, and cayenne pepper. Simmer ~30 min until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. While simmering, add stock or water as needed. During the last 5 min, add the bell peppers. Add the greens and cook until wilted, about 1 min. Stir in the lemon zest.
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