Curried White Bean and Red Lentil Stew

I like fabulously crafted and exotic gourmet dishes as much as anyone, but I'm always conscious of the need to find simple, easy-to-prepare, nutritious dinners for my readers, many of whom lead just as busy a lifestyle as I do. Bean and grain one-pots cooked with vegetables and spices are the perfect solution for vegetarians pressed for time, and this curried bean-and-lentil stew with rice is easy, tasty and satisfying.

Curried White Bean and Red Lentil Stew

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on February 8, 2008 Simple, warming and nourishing one-pot white bean, lentil and rice stew with wonderful layers of seed and spice seasonings Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Print this recipe Ingredients: 3/4 cups dried navy beans (2 1/2 cups cooked or 2 14 oz cans) 1/2 cup red lentils 1/2 cup basmati rice 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed 1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed 2 teaspoons curry powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 6 cups vegetable stock, heated 1 large tomato, diced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper Instructions: Rinse the navy beans and soak for 8 hours or overnight in several inches of water. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a saucepan and cover with several inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until tender but not falling apart. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, rinse the red lentils and rice under cold running water in a strainer and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and garlic and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Meanwhile, mixed the crushed saffron threads in a tablespoon of hot water and set aside. When the onions are cooked, stir in the curry powder, ground cumin, cayenne, rosemary and fennel seeds and fry for 30 seconds, coating the vegetables with the seeds and spices. Pour in the vegetable stock, navy beans, lentils, rice and the saffron and hot water. Increase the heat to high and bring the stew to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, reduce the heat to moderately low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils and rice are cooked and tender. Stir in the tomato and tomato paste and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the chopped parsley, salt and ground black pepper to taste. Makes 6 to 8 servings