VEGAN VEGETABLES STEW WITH PUY LENTILS AND TURMERIC

The tricky part of cooking outdoor is, how you are going to recreate delicious food in an environment that isn’t your home kitchen. Well..it’s all about preparation and organisation.

You see, cooking requires 4 elements: 

• Salt
• Fat
• Acid
• Heat 

You apply these elements in every dish you cook and you will have amazingly delicious food... Every time. Guaranteed.  

You can start by prepping your vegetables at home the night before and then ziplock them and put them in the fridge. You can also make your own tomato sauce..this is where all the flavours come from.

In the meantime, I want to share with you all, this simple, quick and delicious recipe.

I came up with this recipe a few weeks ago when the virus was still thousands of km away. One evening, during my day off work, I wanted to eat something that warmed me up from the inside out. Why? Because I live in Chamonix and winter here in the Alps are cold.

A quick look in the fridge to see what I had available and boom. Bish, bash, bosh and dinner was ready in no time. Nothing better than a hot bowl of vegetables and lentils in tomato sauce with turmeric..a spice that eases the inflammation in the muscles and body. So, a delicious meal that is also super good for you.

This recipe is ideal for using sturdy vegetables like carrots, potatoes, courgettes..but also sweet potatoes, leeks, cauliflower and broccoli works really well too.

Serves 1

Ingredients: I am not going to give you the exact quantity because this kind of cooking is more about taste and flavours rather than precision.

½ medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

2 small potatoes. Peeled and thinly sliced

½ medium courgette, cut into ¼ lengthways, thinly sliced

1 small tin or pouch of pre-cooked lentils (or chickpeas)

4 tbsp tomato sauce**

A splash of extra virgin olive oil

A pinch of salt

A generous pinch of turmeric

*If you are a fish - meat-eater, you can easily add a source of animal protein to this dish, for example, canned tuna or salmon; cubed chicken breast meat added to the dish and cooked for 10mins; cured meats like parma ham, bresaola, ham…

**to make your own delicious tomato sauce you will need 1 white onion, peeled and thinly sliced, 1 clove of garlic thinly sliced, 1 500gr tinned tomatoes, a few leaves of basil, a splash of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Start by placing a medium-size saucepan on the stove to e medium heat. Add the oil and the onions, cook to a golden brown, add the garlic and cook for 5 more mins. Add the tin tomatoes, rinse the tin with ½ glass of water and pour that water in the saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30/40 mins. Season with salt and pepper and add the basil leaves at the very end. Don’t overdo it with salt ;-). Blend to smooth. This sauce keeps well in the fridge for a few days. You can also freeze it in individual portions like a small ziplock bag.

Method:

Before you start the actual cooking, make sure you find a flat area..either on the ground or a big stone..or..if you are lucky, a table :-) / Make also sure you have sheltered from the wind as it may affect the gas burner.

Once you are all set, start by gently heating the oil then add the potatoes, stir and let the potatoes caramelise (don’t burn them).

Sprinkle the turmeric, stir well. Add the carrots, stir and let them caramelise.

This process of caramelisation helps builds more flavour.

Add the tomato sauce (a jar of shop-bought tomato sauce will do just fine..) and stir well, put the lid on and let it gently simmer for 10-15 mins stirring and checking it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the saucepan.

Add the lentils and let cook for 5 mins more.

Check the seasoning and enjoy.

Buon appetito :-)