Welcome to Mum&sons

My two eldest boys challenged me to start a cooking blog with simple recipes that we can cook together - and my youngest one has now joined in. I am hoping they pick up some cooking and photograph skills... or that at least they learn to design and run a blog.


LENTILS SOUP - 'LENTEJAS'

This is a very typical Spanish dish. Most families in Spain eat 'lentejas' once a week during the winter. It is rather heavy (a bowl would be more than enough for lunch) but also very healthy - and cheap too.
You need:
-250 gr of lentils (you may be able to find 'lentejas pardinas' in the supermarket; otherwise Puy lentils are fine too). Ideally you should soak them in water for a few hours.
-1 leak (sliced thinly)
- half a red pepper and half a green pepper (no need to cut them)
- 2 carrots cut in small cubes
- 100 gr green beans (sliced thinly)
- 4 cloves of garlic (sliced thinly)
- salt
- 2 table spoons of olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- half a teaspoon of sweet paprika
- a little bit of parsley (cut thinly)
- water - around 750 ml
Heat the pan with the olive oil (medium to high heat). When the oil is hot add all the ingredients and fry them for 4-5 minutes. Add the water (enough to just cover all the ingredients). Let it all boil and then reduce the heat. Let it simmer for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are tender. If you do this in a express pan ( I use this a lot) it will be ready in just 10 minutes.
Once it is ready take out the peppers and a few lentils (half a cup) and  blend  them (with a hand held mixer or in a blender). Put the blended peppers back in the pan, and mix them well with the rest of the lentils. That is all there is to it.
Best manner to eat the lentils is to serve them very hot with a tablespoon of good red wine vinegar.
Kids like it with a few small cubes of chorizo sprinkled over the lentils (you will need to  fry the chorizo first for a couple of minutes or to cook it in the microwave for just 20-30 seconds)
The children helped to mix all the ingredients and to throw them into the pan. They liked the hand held blender but it is very dangerous so you should hold the blender with them if you allow them to use it.