Iraqi Barley, Lentil, and Vegetable Stew
Adapted from The Universal Kitchen (Elizabeth Rozin) by Presbytera Suzanne Lichtenstein
"This is my most requested recipe. It is hearty, colorful, and filling. If the oil is omitted, it is suitable for even the strictest fast days. If you cannot eat barley, then you may substitute brown rice, whole kamut, whole buckwheat kernels, or even cubed potatoes. This one-dish meal has everything you need for a complete protein. It pairs well with any kind bread on the side, and I have often served it at coffee hours.”
Note: To receive a complete protein when serving beans, always serve a grain with the meal: bread, biscuits, crackers, noodles, rice, barley, etc. Beans are legumes, and legumes combined with grains will give you a complete amino acid profile. Translation: "Serve beans with grains, and you won’t feel like you are starving."
Ingredients:
1/2 cup lentils, soaked in warm, purified water for 2 or more hours so that they split and begin to sprout
3 cups water*
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1/2 cup barley or other whole grain, soaked overnight or at least two hours in warm, purified water.
3 cups water*
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2 medium sweet red, yellow, or orange peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 pound spinach, swiss chard or other greens, coarsely chopped [I use frozen, but they have to be rinsed, drained, and then pressed dry against the side of the sieve.]
1 1/2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed thoroughly (one 16-oz can)*
1 Tbsp olive oil or tahini oil (omit if strict fast, in which case use water instead)
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2 cups canned crushed tomatoes (start with 2, and add more if desired)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (must be freshly ground)
⅛ tsp asafoetida (If you do not have this, you can substitute one onion, coarsely chopped, and sauté it with the other vegetables in step 6. I purchased mine online. Look for one that does not contain wheat flour.)
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2–3 Tbsp. sesame paste (tahini), well-stirred and smooth
1–2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
1 tsp salt again
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Chopped parsley, for garnish
Directions
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Sort the lentils, looking for stones and chaff, and then rinse well with purified water (not hard water from the tap, as this will toughen the skins). Place the lentils into a glass bowl and pour purified water on top until the bowl contains twice as much water as the lentils. Let soak for at least two hours. The lentils should swell, split, and begin to sprout little “tails.”
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Drain and rinse the sprouted lentils, then place in medium pot with 3 cups of purified water. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Skim and discard any foam with a wide spoon; the foam contains bean sugars that are hard to digest and cause gas.
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Remove the lentils from heat, and drain and rinse them with purified water again.
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Rinse the soaked barley or other whole grain, then put it in a medium pot with 3 cups of purified water. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over low heat for about 1/2 hour.
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Remove the barley/grain from heat and drain it.
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In a large pot, sauté the chopped peppers, chopped greens, and drained-and-rinsed chickpeas until the vegetables are soft. Use either the oil or a tablespoon of water. Cover the pot in between stirrings. Do not salt yet.
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Now add the cooked barley/grain and the cooked, sprouted lentils to the the sautéed vegetables and chickpeas and stir.
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Add the crushed or puréed tomatoes, 1 tsp salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and asafoetida (pinched between fingers to crush any lumps). Stir well, then cover and simmer gently for approximately 30 minutes to develop flavor. Stir occasionally, covering the pot again each time.;
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In a small bowl, mix thoroughly the tahini, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Make sure there are no lumps. Then stir this carefully and thoroughly into the stew in the large pot.
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Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Leftovers: The dish improves overnight. However, you will need to add some fresh lemon juice and maybe some freshly-ground black pepper, to spark up the taste again.
*San Angelo has very hard water. Always use purified water for beans and grains, so that they will not toughen during cooking. Even when rinsing, use purified water, so that there is no hard-water residue to toughen them.
**If using dried beans instead of canned, soak first in warm RO or purified water for 12 hours in a non-metal bowl. (Regular tap water will toughen the bean skins during cooking.) You will need twice as much water as beans. Once the beans are split and have little "tails" sprouting from them, they are ready to drain, rinse, and cook. This process will make the beans cause less gas and also help you feel more full and satisfied at the end of the meal. If you prefer using canned, then you might be glad to know that Eden Organic canned beans are soaked this way before they are canned. Again, they cause less gas and a feeling of being satisfied at the end of the meal.
Allow more cooking time for dried-and-soaked beans than for canned beans. However the dried-and-soaked beans will take less cooking time than dried beans that have not been soaked.
To receive a complete protein when serving beans, always serve some sort of grain with the meal: bread, biscuits, crackers, noodles, rice, barley, etc. Beans are legumes, and legumes + grains = complete amino acid profile.
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