Secret recipe from Guido’s husband
Lentil stew with merguez
© Thomas Neckermann
Spicy, hearty – and packed full of delicious ingredients. Not enough? With cinnamon, barberry and harissa, the steaming classic becomes an exotic aromatherapy.
4-6 servings
- 100 g onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 200 g carrots
- 100 g celery
- 300 g alba lentils (eg »The Big One« lauteracher.de)
- 1 red chilli pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 teaspoons of harissa powder (e.g. from Demeter Lebensbaum.com)
- 1.6 l vegetable stock
- 1 cinnamon stick (3-4 cm long)
- 1 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 4-6 Merguez (100 g each)
- 4 stalks of mint
- 150 g cream yogurt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt pepper
- 1 teaspoon black cumin
- 2 tbsp dried barberries
Served in 60 minutes
1. Finely dice the onions and garlic. Clean, peel and halve the carrots lengthways and cut into fine slices. Clean the celery, remove the threads and dice finely. Wash the lentils in a cold colander and drain. Halve the chilli lengthways, remove the seeds.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan. Steam the vegetables in it for 3–4 minutes over a medium heat until they are colorless. Dust with harissa and sauté briefly. Add the lentils, pour in 1 liter of vegetable stock and slowly bring to the boil. Add cinnamon, bay leaf and chilli (depending on the heat). Simmer the stew with the lid half open for 40 minutes over medium heat, adding the remaining stock.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, fry the sausages on all sides for 6–8 minutes over a medium heat. Pluck the mint from the stalks and roughly cut the leaves. Mix the yogurt with 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt and caraway seeds.
4th Season the stew with salt, pepper and the remaining lemon juice. Halve the sausages, arrange in soup plates. Sprinkle with mint and barberries and serve with yogurt.
Frank’s insider tip
No dried barberries in the house? Cranberries are also suitable for the sweet and sour aroma.
This article originally appeared in Guido issue no. 02/2021.