Savoy Cabbage and Red Lentil Stew

2014-04-15 19.07.09

This was inspired by an old favourite dish Spiced Red Lentils with Cabbage by Mary Gwynn in a much loved and now old and battered cookbook from the 1990s!  That was the introduction to me of the amazing combination of caraway seeds and cabbage.  This has developed over time into this dish, which is bulked out with the addition of more cabbage, chickpeas and some other herbs & spices and then made creamy with the hoummus and zingy with lime juice.

Savoy Cabbage and Red Lentil Stew
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Stew
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium savoy cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup red split lentils
  • 1 tsp "steak seasoning" (combination of black pepper, onion, coriander, chili, cumin, oregano, garlic, mustard, etc)
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp caraway seeds
  • ½ cup tomato pasta based sauce
  • 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup passata
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 100g baby spinach
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  • ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • ⅓ cup hoummous
Instructions
  1. Place a wide-based large casserole e.g . Le Creuset / saucepan (which has lid) on a medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic, then add the cabbage, dried spices and herbs, stir well to combine. Turn down the heat, add a splash of stock or water, place on the lid and allow to steam for around 5 minutes or until cabbage is wilted, take care it doesn’t catch or burn.
  2. Add the lentils, tomato sauce, passata, paste and stock. Replace the lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils have disintegrated.
  3. Stir in the spinach and chickpeas, parsley, lime and hoummus and simmer for another few minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve. We had ours with brown rice and runner beans.