French Catalan stew

This French Catalan stew is not the richer and heavier wine-laden civets or fricandó for which the region is perhaps best know. Full of fresh summer flavours, it's closer to Romesco de peix, the signature Catalan fish stew. But, the other great thing about this particular recipe is that it's another that starts out as vegan, making it ideal for mixed groups of diners.

Borderline

I first encountered this dish in Perpignan. I was travelling with friends, down from France into Spain at a leisurely pace. It was boiling hot, the kind of weather where heavy, rich food is not really an option. Unfortunately, we had been so leisurely on the road, that by the time we got settled and had growling stomachs despite relatively little appetite, most the local eateries were already packed to capacity.

But, we got very lucky, stumbling upon an unassuming but charming bistro. It was run by a husband-and-wife team who bustled around, front of house. As they explained, it was their retirement plan: their daughter, a chef who specialised in traditional Catalan cooking from this region of France on the border with Spain, had always wanted a restaurant of her own so they thought, why not?

Thanks heavens they didn't hesitate. Their daughter was certainly a great chef and we made the right choice of opting for the plat du jour, this fresh summer stew that she put on the menu in hot weather. She was so enthusiastic about her beloved Catalan cooking that when the kitchen had closed and she came out to have a digestif with us, she didn't hesitate to share the recipe in detail.

One of the things that I love about this recipe is that it starts out vegan and was often traditionally served as a purely vegetable stew. Because of the cooking method, it made it a great option for her restaurant menu because it could be offered to both vegetarian and carnivorous patrons. This also makes it great in a domestic setting for those who need to cater to mixed dining preferences.

I'm doing the version with chicken and bacon in keeping with the first time I experienced it. But it is also made with Perpignan dried sausage or anchovies. It's served with a riff on Pa Amb Tomàque. Here the lightly toasted rustic bread is spread with a nutty salsa verde.

You use the whole fresh lemon in this recipe—zest, juice and pulp. But, you use it in two different stages, so remove the zest before cutting in in half: it's a lot easier.

This recipe uses vegetable stock. But if you know you're not cooking for any vegans or vegetarians, using chicken stock actually gives it a more intense flavour.

The kitchen wisdom for many Spanish stews dictates that your break root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes and parsnips with your hands rather than cutting them with a knife. The theory is that this process releases more starches that help thicken the sauce. However, the sauce for this dish is not meant to be too thick. So, chop away,

The portions here are for 2 to 3 diners. Scale proportionally. NB: the images here are only indicative.

3 top tips to get this recipe right:

• Fresh—nearing overripe—tomatoes are the key to the dish. It doesn't really matter what variety—I'm using a mix of large plum tomatoes and heritage varieties—but do not use tinned tomatoes because they will overpower the subtle citrus and herb flavours

• Pimentón (smoked paprika) comes in broad spectrum of spiciness, sweetness or smokiness. The one I'm using is technically not Pimentón, but piment d'Espeleltte, a highly sought after form of dried chill produced in the Basque region of France. It's sweet and smoky, but not very spicy. This dish isn't meant to be overly spicy, so if the one in your spice rack is particularly spicy, use less of it

• I'm using green lentils here, but the original recipe used Puy lentils. Unfortunately finding Puy lentils that have not been pre-cooked to a mush sold in horrible microwave pouches has become a bit of a quest in the UK. I find that green lentils work well as an alternative, but don't use yellow lentils or any other type that tends to break up in the cooking process.

Shopping list

for the French Catalan stew

• 2 skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces (optional)

• 5 large rashers of bacon or lardons; fat on, sliced (optional)

• 1 extra large potato, cut into irregular pieces

• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into irregular pieces

• 3 large stalks of celery, finely sliced

• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1 large onion (brown, white or red), chopped

• 1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced vertically

• Approx. 600g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped

• 1 large fresh lemon (juice, pulp and zest)

• A clutch of fresh basil

• A clutch of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

• 1 tspn Pimentón (or piment d'Espelette)

• 1 tspn mild dried chilli flakes

• ½ tspn saffron powder (or a few stamens of saffron)

• 500ml vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

• ½ glass white wine

• 1 tspn mixed herbs (dried marjoram, basil, oregano, thyme)

• Approx. 300g green lentils (or Puy), cooked and drained

• Approx. 2 tbspns virgin olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

for the bread with almond salsa verde

•  A large clutch of flat leaf parsley

• 3 large cloves of fresh garlic

• 2 handfuls of flaked almonds

• 1 tbspn sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

• 1 tbspn extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tspn honey

• 2 echalion shalllots (or a small onion)

• salt and pepper to taste

• Slices of rustic bread, lightly toasted

Cooking Method

the French Catalan stew

1. Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a suitably deep pan with a lid. When it is hot, add the onions and celery at the same time. Season with a little black pepper and sauté, reducing the heat if necessary—they shouldn't cook too too fast. Add the garlic and stir in, being careful not to burn it

2. Once the onions have softened and the celery turned "glassy", add the bell pepper and season with chilli flakes. Stir in, ensuring the pepper slices are coated in the juices. Add the pulp and juice of half of the lemon, about half of the wine and a dash of stock. Cover and gently sweat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking

3. When these ingredients have softened, add the chopped tomatoes, and slightly increase the heat. Place the basil on top, allowing it to wilt for a minute. Fold in the tomatoes and basil. Allow the flavour of the basil to cook in for a minute or so.

4. Add a generous dash of the stock, the flat leaf parsley, mixed herbs, pimentón, and saffron powder and stir in. Cover and simmer for 5mins

5. Add the carrot and potatoes and fold in. Pour in the rest of the stock. You want the ingredients for be almost entirely covered with liquid, so you may need to add additional boiling water. Bring to a hearty simmer, cover and cook for 5mins. Then, reduce the heat so that the liquid is simmering very gently. Re-cover and simmer for another 12mins, stirring occasionally

6. While the stew is cooking, in a separate pan, brown the chicken and bacon in a little olive oil on a fairly high heat. Add a little more of the dried chilli flakes and season with salt and pepper. When the meat has been sealed and has a healthy colour, add the remaining wine and cook off; until the chicken is fully cooked. The bacon will not crisp because of the method: it's not meant to do so. Once cooked remove from the heat and allow to rest

7. When the potatoes and carrots are cooked—but not yet breaking up—remove the lid and add the remaining lemon juice and pulp—the fruit sugars will aid reduction. Increase the heat so that the sauce simmers heartily. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, ensuring you move the carrot and potato chunks around so that they cook evenly. Simmer for approx. 5 or 6mins

8. When the sauce starts to reduce, add the lentils and lemon zest and fold in. Continue to simmer. When the sauce is largely absorbed—it's not meant to be a thick sauce as such—add the chicken and bacon into the pan. Re-cover and cook for a further 5mins on a low heat. NB: if serving a mixed group of diners, first remove the portions for vegan/veggie diners and keep warm in the oven in a covered dish

9. Plate and take to table with the toasted bread and almond salsa verde

the almond salsa verde

1. In a food processor or mini-chopper, chop the garlic, shallot and flat leaf parsley, lubricating with a little oil as needed

2. Add the almonds and chop before adding the honey, vinegar and remaining oil Chop until a fairly moist salsa. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste

3. Decant to a serving dish and take to table with the toasted slices of rustic bread
   

Alternatives

This dish starts out as vegan and is often traditionally served as just that. See above. So feel free to simply serve it as a delicious vegan dish.

The traditional pescatarian version is to simply add anchovy fillets—the Spanish kind preserved in oil—at the plating stage so that the heat of the dish warms them. I have also found that it works very well with smoked mussels treated in exactly the same way.

Pairings

The first time I had this dish was with one of those pale rosés from the neighbouring Languedoc region and I guess I'm always trying to recreate that wonderful experience brimming with the heat and flavours of summer. There are any number of these pale rosés that work wonderfully, but that is always my starting point.

But, if you prefer white, I find that looking across the border to Spanish white Rioja or Macabeo is a good option. What really works is a white wine with a refreshing quality that doesn't overpower the subtle citrus and herbal flavours of the dish.

I don't really have suggestions on reds because somehow the whole notion seems just too heavy for this summery dish.