Chef Isabel
Cigrons a la Catalana
Cigrons a la Catalana are Catalonia's chickpeas cooked in a dark sofregit, loosened with their own broth, then thickened with almond-garlic picada while pine nuts and raisins give the sweet Catalan note.
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Lentejas Viudas
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Lentejas viudas are Castilian spoon food: meatless lentils carried by a slow sofrito, sweet pimentón, and vegetables until the pot tastes full without chorizo.
Soups & Stews
Spanish
Budget Friendly
Comfort Food
Weeknight
15 min
Active Time
55 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield4 to 6 servings
Lentejas viudas are Castilian, the lean lentil pot of the inland table: lentils, vegetables, olive oil, pimentón, and no meat. They are called viudas, widowed, because the chorizo and morcilla are missing. That isn't a lack if you cook the base properly. It is a different dish, quieter and cheaper, and it has fed plenty of tables well.
The method that decides it is the sofrito, the slow onion base. Cook the onion, carrot, pepper, and garlic low until the onion goes dark gold and sweet, then let the grated tomato lose its water before the pimentón goes in. Rush that step and the lentils taste thin. Do it slowly and the pot has body before the lentils ever soften.
Use pardina lentils if you can find them, the small brown ones that hold their shape and don't need soaking. If you're far from Castilla, use small green or brown lentils with good turnover from the shop, not old dusty ones from the back of a cupboard. Red lentils are for another pot; they collapse. No hace falta haber pisado España. With good lentils, a patient sofrito, and the pimentón kept from burning, siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Lentejas viudas belong to the Castilian tradition of cocina de cuchara, spoon food built from legumes, vegetables, olive oil, and what the household could afford. The name viudas marks the absence of the usual cured meats, especially chorizo and morcilla, making the dish fit for lean days, Lent, and ordinary budget cooking. Castilla y León gives the pot two famous lentils, the pale lenteja de La Armuña of Salamanca and the small pardina of Tierra de Campos, both prized because they cook tender while keeping their shape.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
pardina lentils or small brown lentils
Quantity
300g
picked over and rinsed
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
60ml
onion
Quantity
1 medium
finely chopped
carrot
Quantity
1 medium
finely diced
green pepper
Quantity
1 small
finely diced
garlic
Quantity
3 cloves
minced
ripe tomato, or canned crushed tomato
Quantity
150g fresh or 120g canned
grated if fresh
sweet pimentón de la Vera
Quantity
1 teaspoon
bay leaf
Quantity
1
potato
Quantity
1 medium
peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
water or light vegetable broth
Quantity
1.2 litres
fine salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more to taste
sherry vinegar (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
to finish
flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped, to finish
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| pardina lentils or small brown lentilspicked over and rinsed | 300g |
| extra virgin olive oil | 60ml |
| onionfinely chopped | 1 medium |
| carrotfinely diced | 1 medium |
| green pepperfinely diced | 1 small |
| garlicminced | 3 cloves |
| ripe tomato, or canned crushed tomatograted if fresh | 150g fresh or 120g canned |
| sweet pimentón de la Vera | 1 teaspoon |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| potatopeeled and cut into 2cm chunks | 1 medium |
| water or light vegetable broth | 1.2 litres |
| fine salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| sherry vinegar (optional)to finish | 1 tablespoon |
| flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped, to finish | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 4 to 5 litre pot or olla
- •Wooden spoon
- •Fine grater for the tomato
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the lentils
Pick through the lentils for any small stones, then rinse them under cold water until the water runs clear. Pardina lentils don't need soaking; that is one kindness of this dish. If your lentils are large or old, soak them for 1 hour while you chop the vegetables, then drain them well.
Old lentils are the enemy here. If they stay chalky after an hour, the recipe didn't fail; the lentils were tired before you began. - 2
Cook the sofrito
Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot, green pepper, and a pinch of the salt, then cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is dark gold and the vegetables look soft and glossy. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. This slow sofrito is what replaces the depth people expect from chorizo, so don't hurry it.
- 3
Add tomato and pimentón
Stir in the grated tomato and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the water has cooked off and the oil begins to show at the edges. Pull the pot off the heat, add the pimentón, and stir for 20 seconds until it smells sweet and smoky. Keep it off the flame for this part; burnt pimentón turns bitter and follows you all the way to the bowl.
- 4
Simmer the lentils
Add the rinsed lentils, bay leaf, potato, water or light vegetable broth, and the remaining salt. Bring just to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently, half-covered, for 35 to 45 minutes. The lentils should be tender but still whole, and the potato should give easily when pressed with a spoon.
- 5
Thicken the pot
Lift out a few pieces of potato and a ladle of lentils, mash them with a fork, and stir them back into the pot. Simmer 5 minutes more, uncovered, until the broth turns lightly creamy but still loose enough to move around the spoon. Taste for salt.
- 6
Rest and finish
Take the pot off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Stir in the sherry vinegar if the lentils taste a little flat; it should brighten the pot, not make it sharp. Finish with parsley if you like, and serve in deep bowls with bread. Tal como se hace en casa, plainly and well.
Chef Tips
- •Use pardina lentils if you can get them. They are small, brown, and reliable, and they hold their shape without soaking. Small green lentils or ordinary brown lentils work too, but check early because cooking times change with age and size.
- •Do not replace the sofrito with raw vegetables thrown into the water. That gives you boiled lentils. The slow onion, carrot, pepper, garlic, tomato, and pimentón are the floor of the dish.
- •If you want it strictly meatless, use water or a clean vegetable broth. Don't use a strong boxed stock that tastes of celery and powder; it will shout over the lentils.
- •A spoon of sherry vinegar at the end is not decoration. It wakes up the earthiness of the lentils, especially when there is no cured pork in the pot.
- •These are better the next day. If they thicken in the fridge, loosen them with water and warm them gently, then taste again for salt.
Advance Preparation
- •Chop the onion, carrot, pepper, and garlic up to 1 day ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator.
- •The full stew can be made 1 to 2 days ahead. Cool it quickly, refrigerate it, and reheat gently with a splash of water.
- •Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. The potato softens after freezing, but in this stew that only thickens the broth a little.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 380g)
Calories
285 calories
Total Fat
9 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
8 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
420 mg
Total Carbohydrates
41 g
Dietary Fiber
9 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
14 g
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