The past several weeks of heavy holiday eating left me craving something lighter this week. Feeling frugal and also seeking a way to use my leftover Coon Rock Farm smoked ham from Christmas, I turned to my pantry and fridge to see what could be transformed into a respectable meal.
I had a cup of red lentils purchased in the bulk section of Whole Foods. Some onion and garlic. Several sweet potatoes and fingerlings from the farmers’ market. A bunch of cilantro from Redbud Farm, a little plain yogurt and of course, the ham. The base of red lentils inspired thoughts of savory stew. Bingo! I still had a tablespoon of curry powder from Whole Foods bulk spices. This curry dish turned out surprisingly delicious and was quick, easy and inexpensive to make. Serve with rice and enjoy a perfect post-holiday recovery dish.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 T butter or olive oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 cups chopped potatoes or sweet potatoes
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 5 cups water or stock
- 2 T soy sauce
- 1-2 T curry powder (to taste)
- 1-2 cups cooked ham, pork, chicken or shrimp
- 1 ½ cups plain yogurt
- salt & pepper
- cilantro for garnish
Method
In a large pot, sauté onion and garlic in oil or butter until tender. Add potatoes, red lentils, water, curry powder and soy sauce (will need less soy sauce if using stock instead of water). Simmer for about 25 minutes until lentils and potatoes are tender. Add meat and simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir-in the plain yogurt and season with salt, pepper and more curry if desired. Serve as a stew or over rice and garnish with cilantro.
makes 4 servings
No comments:
Post a Comment