Smoked potato and spinach stew, our house meal

I know it’s summer, but I’m sure this recipe will open your appetite for a warm, comforting dish even now.

Potatoes have the sweetest taste and softest skin in summer so I love preparing this when the weather gets a bit rainy. If you make this in a big batch, it will only become better after 2-3 days.

So it’s definitely something to have in the fridge and make each member of the family happy.

My lover is a pizza and pasta man, but he can’t resist an earthy stew like this. It’s sweet, smoky, full of runny sweet and salty sauce, the spinach is soft and the marinated onion gives it a modern twist.

It’s also quick, easy to make and really cheap. Perfect to make in the middle of the summer when the carrots are fully developed. If you don’t have spinach, you can always replace with swiss chard or kale - these are also in best in the summer.

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Smoked potato and spinach stew

Vegan, Plant-based, Gluten-free

Makes 5-6

Total time: around 1h 30 mins

Ingredients

• 500 g baby new potatoes

• 2 small carrots

• 1 parsnip root

• 1 onion

• ⅓ cup green lentils

• 200 g fresh spinach/swiss chard/kale

• 1-2 tbsp coconut oil

• Filtered water, around 1 L

• 3 garlic cloves

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• ¼ tsp sweet paprika

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• ¼ tsp dried thyme

• Sea salt

• Balck pepper

Instructions

1. Peel and dice the onion and chop the carrots and parsnips.

2. Saute the onion in coconut oil together with the carrots and parsnips.

3. Add water and bring to a boil.

4. Cut the baby potatoes in 2 and add to the pot together with green lentils.

5. Add sea salt and put the lid on. Leave to boil on a medium heat until the lentils are done.

6. When the veggies are cooked, add the spinach and cook for another 5 minutes on a low heat. At this point you can add all the spices: crushed garlic, smoked paprika, lemon juice, black pepper, sweet paprika and thyme. Taste for saltiness and adjust if needed.

7. Enjoy with sauerkraut and sourdough bread.

Tips: You can refrigerate the stew in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

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I feel this recipe is more of a guide, rather than a precise recipe. I think it would be fun for you to make a little inventory of what’s in season at the time you want to cook it, and start building your own recipe, maybe adding in your favourite veggies and spices.

I love when going to friends or relatives and they serve me their home meal. I think we should all have our own home meal. And this one is a good start to creating one.