A Lentil Stew Recipe to Cure Homesickness

Birthright Lentil Stew is one of those recipes which embodies the spirit of . A true heirloom recipe with all the trappings of comfort and nostalgia.

Jenna Monroe shares the history and techniques behind this recipe with a fiery, fun-filled delivery, clearly illustrating each key element and process. Teaching something she loves seems to come totally naturally for her.

Monroe is one of the gifted dance instructors at . Making a living as a dancer requires passion, sacrifice and talent, and she's been performing with dance companies around the Bay Area, including Requisitedance, a company she co-founded which will be performing in the Down and Dirty series coming up in San Francisco. 

This lentil stew recipe is important to Monroe because it helped her overcome homesickness when she went away to college. The kitchen was always where important conversations occurred in the Monroe family. It was a place where they would solve problems and enjoy time together while watching and helping prepare whatever was on tap for that day's meal.  

"Growing up, my mother always cooked," Monroe said. "Family dinner equalled family time. We all caught up on each other's day and shared stories. My favorite memories are from that dining room table. Lentil stew, or Birthright Lentil Stew as my mom called it, comforted my household on many occasions."

Aromas and flavors of Birthright Lentil Stew bring the sense of home to wherever you are, aromatic and earthy with a soft spice element. While deeply satisfying as a vegetarian dish, adding kielbasa provides the smoky spice of an old world sausage to round things out.

Monroe emphasized the importance of the bay leaf in the stew.

"If you forget the bay leaf your stew will be missing that special something," she said.  

Monroe also recommended adding some curry powder. She likes the nice richly spiced flavor it brings to the stew. She and her roommate Brianna Anthony like things spicy at their house as you will learn next week when Anthony shares her summer roll recipe.

Birthright Lentil Stew

Ingredients 

• 3 leeks, cleaned and sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 ribs celery, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 pound bag of lentils
• 1 package turkey kielbasa (optional, but encouraged), sliced
• Vegetable stock to cover (one quart +/-)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil for sauté

Directions

Heat olive oil in pan until lightly smoking. Add leeks and stir as they release some moisture. Add garlic and reduce heat a bit to sweat for a few minutes. Add celery and carrots, salt and pepper to taste and continue sweating until the onions are translucent. 

Add the curry and the lentils and stir well. Pour in enough stock to cover by an inch or so. Add the bay leaf and bring to a simmer.

Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes to an hour. If using kielbasa, add this in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Adjust seasoning and serve.

Download the movie

Download the movie