This Chorizo and Lentil Stew is inspired by my recent visit to the incredible Martinez Somalo Chorizo factory in the La Rioja region of Northern Spain. It was part of a press trip organised by the lovely people at the Spanish Chorizo Consortium. As you can imagine, it was quite a wonderful gastronomic experience and as well as learning so much about the chorizo and cured ham process we also ate incredibly well.
The Spanish Chorizo Consortium
The Spanish Chorizo Consortium has been created to ensure tradition and authenticity in any product calling itself Chorizo. They have designed a special label so that you can easily recognise this mark. You can buy Spanish Consortium Chorizo in a number of UK supermarkets including Ocado and Tesco.
As part of our tour of the chorizo factory we were fortunate enough to meet the team behind the family run factory and in fact the CEO Elena Martinez and her mother made a traditional chorizo dish for us. We also talked about the traditional dishes of Spain and this chorizo and lentil stew was one of them. This is my take on this stew and I used the fresh chorizo with Mediterranean herbs.
- 4 links of chorizo sausage – chopped
- 3 banana shallots – finely chopped
- 1 carrot – chopped
- 1 red pepper – chopped
- 1 medium potato – chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- fresh thyme
- 200g dried brown lentils
- 300ml vegetable stock
Pre-heat your oven to 140C (fan) / 284F.
In a large pan on a medium heat, saute the chorizo for a few minutes. It should begin to release a divine oil which is perfect to saute the rest of the vegetables in. Tip the chopped veg into the pan along with the chorizo and gently fry for 5 mins until they begin to soften. Stir in the garlic cloves and some fresh thyme.
Transfer the glorious sautéed veg and chorizo into an oven-proof pot (preferably with a lid.) Stir in the lentils and the stock. Cover and place in the oven for 1 hour.
Serve warm with some fresh rustic bread.
For more stew recipes, check these out on Dom in the Kitchen.
Eat and of course, enjoy!
Looks delicious. I’ve posted this straight onto Twitter, because I absolutely trust your recipes, and I love the flavours in this stew. Most of all, it’s an amazing value recipe. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! Inspired by your experience at the Martinez Somalo Chorizo factory, I tried it at home, and it was a hit! The combination of chorizo, lentils, and Mediterranean herbs is fantastic. Looking forward to exploring more of your recipes. Cheers!