Lentil Stew

With the presence of overcast days and cooler daytime (and nighttime) temperatures, I am encouraged to get back to making soups, stews, and chilis.  Friday night I made a wonderful new recipe for Lentil Stew with a fresh loaf of bread and then on Saturday I made a basic chili with a new recipe for Southern Spoon bread.  The spoon bread was a "southern" version of corn bread, I guess, kind of like  a custard, or a corn pudding.  To me, the lentil stew was comparable to beef stew, maybe better.  It was very warm and hearty.

Lentil Stew

1 c dry lentils

6 c water

2 T broth powder

2 T soy sauce

1 onion, diced

4 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 potatoes, diced

1/2 tsp dried parsley

3 T flour

3 T butter, melted

Rinse the lentils.  Add all of the ingredients except the flour and butter to a large pot.  Cook over med. heat for 35 minutes.

In a small bowl mix the flour, and butter into a paste.  Whisk the paste into the stew and stir constantly or 3-4 minutes.  The stew will thicken as you stir.

Broth Powder

1 c nutritional yeast flakes (also called brewers yeast)

3 T onion powder

3 T garlic powder

1 T salt

1 tsp celery seed

2 T Italian seasoning

2 T dried parsley

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp marjoram

1 tsp. tarragon  (I didn't have this, so I just omitted it)

1 tsp. paprika

Place all ingredients in a blender, cover, and blend for 3-4 seconds or until well mixed.  Sore in an airtight jar for up to 6 months.

Notes: 

Add 1 T to a cup of hot water for a cup of soup or stock. 

Two tsp of this recipe plus 1/2 tsp of salt is the equivalent of 1 bouillon cube. 

To use commercial broth powder in place of homemade broth powder, reduce the salt in the recipe by 1/2 tsp for every 2 tsp of commercial broth powder used.

I had a profitable weekend.  The trailer has been fall cleaned except for the stove and the guest room; the remaining plants in the garden are slowly being mulched and put in the compost.  It is good to go through things again, to clean down the walls and light fixtures, to return things to their proper locations, ... AAAHHH CLEAN!  Today I think that I will make some scarecrows for the empty garden space.  That will be fun.  Maybe then I will start to attack the guest room which has become an unsightly catch-all!