Beef & Lentil Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of beef stew meat, or whatever beef/ steak meat you have cubed

• 1 large yellow or white onion; diced

• 3 or 4 large carrots; dived

• 1/2 cup of green dry lentils

• 3 cloves of garlic; minced

• 1 tsp of granulated or dried garlic (if you don’t have this, use 1/2 tsp of garlic powder)

• 3 tbsp of tomato paste

• 3- 4 cups of chicken stock (you can also use beef)

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp of dry thyme)

• 2 tbsp of olive oil

• 1/2 tsp of dried chili flakes

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 tbsp of flour

In a dutch oven, or heavy bottomed pot, heat up your olive oil.

In a small bowl, cover your beef with the flour, salt and pepper. Add the beef to the dutch oven and sear the beef chunks until browned on the outside. The beef doesn’t need to be fully cooked, just needs some color. Once the beef is browned, remove from the pot and set aside.

To your hot dutch oven, add your onions and carrots. Cook for about 2- 3 minutes, or until the onions start to get glossy.

Add your tomato paste and chili flakes and make sure the carrots and onions are covered. Pour in the chicken stock to de-glaze the pot, scraping up all the good stuff stuck to the bottom.

Add the bay leaf, thyme and garlic (fresh and dried) to the broth and add the beef back in. Put the lid on the dutch oven and let simmer for around 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add in the lentils and remove the bay leaf and thyme stems. Simmer for another 30 minute or until the lentils are fully cooked. You can leave it on low until you are read to serve.

Serve with crusty bread.