Monday, November 28, 2011

Curried Butternut Squash, Apple & Lentil Stew

You would think that after the week of total food gluttony I just participated in, I would need a little break from all things food related. You would be wrong.

My thanksgiving was wonderful, thank you for asking! Both food and family were prepared to perfection, and I returned home from the Pennsylvania boonies totally satiated.


We probably should have taken family photos BEFORE dinner...

We ate the obligatory (and oh-so-phenomenal) turkey & stuffing sandwiches with gravy &cranberry sauce for pretty much every meal thru lunch on Saturday, but by dinner we were ready for a change of pace.

Thankfully, we'd planned ahead, and scheduled an "Everything but the Turkey" potluck for that evening. Our friends are wonderful cooks, and it was another delectable evening. 

Apple & Cheddar Scones from Smitten Kitchen 



Our Festive Holiday Table


The feast!


After three straight days of rich food, we decided to make our contribution to the evening a little bit lighter.
  
Curried Butternut Squash, Apple & Lentil Stew
(Stolen from this recipe on New York Times.com) 



I can NOT say enough good things about this recipe. It was amazing the first night, and perhaps even better the second. Sadly, I can't take any credit for it because I neither discovered the recipe nor made any adaptions! I will note, however, that I forgot to add the spinach when I served it to my guests..and it was great that way! We added spinach when we ate it as leftovers and it continued to be delicious.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder ( I was using a mild curry powder, so I rounded my tbsp)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt ( I used kosher and it was fine)
1/2 cup dried lentils
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups peeled butternut squash (1/2-inch cubes)
1 large unpeeled apple, diced
5 ounces baby spinach

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat, and sauté onion and carrot until almost soft. Add garlic, ginger, curry and salt, and let cook a few more minutes until fragrant.

2. Stir in lentils, broth and tomato paste. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Add squash and apple, cover and simmer for another 25 minutes, or until vegetables and lentils are tender. Remove lid and stir in spinach until wilted.
Yield: 6 servings.

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