Lentils – Spain kisses Dippoldiswalde

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 200 g lentils, red, or 100 each red and yellow
• 50 g ham cubes, smoked or air-dried
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 tbsp, leveled tomato paste
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 2 cloves or allspice berries
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pinch(s) of caraway powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 shot of balsamic vinegar, light, or apple cider vinegar/apple balsamic
• 4 grilled sausages
• 12 slices of chorizo
• 1 tsp, leveled mustard, grainy or medium hot
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp, heaped parsley, flat, chopped
• 2 tbsp sour cream or crème fraîche

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

Classics interpreted in a modern way

Rinse the lentils in a sieve with cold water. Dice the onions and sauté them in a little neutral oil or butter. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar over the onions to enhance their flavor. Roast the ham cubes, add the tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of water to help distribute the tomato paste, and roast for about 2 minutes. Then do the same with the lentils. Then fill with 2/3 of the vegetable stock, add the bay leaf and clove or allspice, a little sugar, bring to a boil, and simmer with the lid on, stirring gently occasionally (peeled lentils tend to fall apart if you stir them vigorously). For peeled lentils, it takes about 10 minutes. Add more stock as needed. I’ve found that the lentil/water ratio for this dish is about 1:1, depending on the lentils. But that also depends on your preferred consistency. In the meantime, grill the sausages or fry them in a pan. Cut the chorizo ​​into thin slices if it hasn’t been pre-sliced. When the lentils are cooked, season with salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, caraway powder, and mustard. Stir in some parsley, reserving a little for garnish. Serve on warm, large, flat dinner plates. Add 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche or sour cream to each of the lentils, then arrange the sausages and chorizo ​​attractively on top of the lentils. Serve with a cold beer. Tips: – For decoration, shave some pumpkin and garnish with saffron threads. The pumpkin goes fantastically well with it and, in larger quantities, makes a great side dish. – A crisp mixed salad, preferably with leaf salad with sprouts and lemon vinaigrette, goes well with the sausage. – Mustard or horseradish go well with the sausage. Suitable side dishes for a filling effect include mashed potatoes, mashed carrots, and small, whole, roasted potatoes with their skins (triplets), or spaetzle, a dish reminiscent of Swabian lentil spaetzle. Or, of course, simply slices of baguette. – Merguez and salsiccia, or even classic coarse bratwurst, are also great alternatives to bratwurst. – Lemon juice is also very pleasant instead of vinegar. It’s a bit fruitier and fresher. – The vegetable broth can also be replaced with salt water. This makes the lentil flavor more natural. – For the finishing touch, a little pumpkin seed oil or basil oil can be drizzled over the top. I first encountered this dish at the Hotel am Schloss in Dippoldiswalde, a few kilometers from Dresden. The kitchen of the family-run hotel was run exclusively by the owner, Mrs. Lange. I was able to enjoy her cooking for a few days, and this dish is just one of several fantastic, inventive menus that would catapult her straight into Champions Week of the Kitchen Battle. I tinkered with this recipe a few times at home, and this is what I came up with.