Moroccan Lentil Stew

Do you ever run into the issue, where you buy something at the grocery store with high hopes of making something super fabulous out of it? Trader Joe's is my weakness, they have such an amazing variety of things and I will usually find myself picking something random up (like Agave Syrup) and concocting a crazy recipe with it, only problem is, 15 months later, it's still sitting in my pantry. 

Enter 17 bean and barley mix ala Trader Joe's. It's actually a really good mix of beans and barely, there's pidgeon peas, green peas, pinto beans, black beans, navy beans, red beans, barley, etc. I bought this in the hopes of making a lentil stew, which I did, but it was several months later. 

How did this happen? I went to Bus Boys & Poet near our apartment in DC, and decided instead of the tofu scramble I'd have the lentil stew and grits (it was snowy and cold out) for brunch. I loved this dish so much I vowed to come home and use the bean+barley mix and make it immediately - it was two weeks later, but in my book that's immediately. 

The cool thing about this is that I didn't have a recipe, I just kind of went on a whim and added/subtracted based on what I had and what I felt like it need to make as close to the BB&P version. Here's my take, hopefully it works out for you too - send me any variations you make! 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup bean+barley mix
1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans (I'm not a fan of the canned beans)
2 large carrots diced
2 medium onions diced
3 stalks celery diced
6 garlic cloves minced
2 Serrano peppers minced
2 large or 4 small tomatoes cut into wedges
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1/2 lemon juiced
2 bullion cubes (I used veggie)
salt to taste
water
Cilantro chopped for garnish

Method:
The night before you want to make this stew, soak the bean+barley mix and the garbanzo beans in water, use a LARGE bowl, as the contents will expand and rise. 

For the tomatoes:
In a large stock pot, bring 6 cups of water to a rapid boil, place the tomatoes into the water (be careful), allow the tomatoes to simmer until it looks like the skins are starting to peel off, remove from water using a slotted spoon (save the water!). Place the tomatoes and 2 cups of warm tap water into a blender and puree.  This will be your 'tomato stock'. 

For the beans:
Using the water that you boiled the tomatoes in, add the soaked beans and the bullion cubes, cover and cook for about 20-30 mins or until the large beans are cooked through. Do not strain - the water that the beans are cooking in is very flavorful!

Cooking the stew:
To the cooking beans, add the bay leaf, tomato puree, paprika, ground cumin, minced Serrano pepper, oregano, ground coriander, red pepper flakes, salt and lemon juice. Lower the heat just a little and allow mixture to simmer for 5 mins. Finally, add the carrots, onions, garlic and celery to the pot - all the entire thing to simmer until the vegetables are soft and cooked through. At this point, be sure to check the salt and tartness - adding more if needed. 

Serving the Stew:
I garnished with a little bit of chopped cilantro for color. I'm sure you could add a little bit of olive oil and a dollop of Greek yogurt. I also served mine with the Guinness bread below. Enjoy!