There are only a few cookbooks left that pique my interest. I have bought too many over the past 15 years, browsed through them – and then left them to collect dust on the shelf. From what used to be over 50 pieces, there are now only around 20 left. These are my personal classics that have proven to be useful for me in everyday life. Most new releases no longer grab me. It was all there before, right? Yawn. But “30 plants per week”* by Katharina Seiser caught my attention. This one also comes from this book Eggplant and lentil stew. But first things first.
30 plants for a healthy intestine
The greater the range of plant-based foods in the diet, the more stable and resilient the human intestinal microbiome is and the lower the risk of developing diseases of civilization. This leaves the idea behind “30 plants per week” summarize. The 30 plants include not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, spices (i.e. things like pepper, savory, parsley), olive oil and even coffee and tea. So if you help yourself to this wonderful rainbow, you will stay/become healthy/healthier. I think the idea is great and easier to implement in my everyday life than the well-known “Daily Dozen” concept by Dr. Michael Greger. For me, doing something “weekly” is easier than “daily.” Especially since the Dozen also counts terribly unpleasant things like 30 minutes of exercise.
About the book
For some, it may be a drawback that “30 Plants a Week” also includes some recipes that have already appeared in other cookbooks that Katharina Seiser has worked on. For me that was secondary. There are three chapters: cold, warm and sweet (I don’t need the latter, but well, there’s no getting around it). All recipes are at least vegetarian, many are also vegan.
Katharina Seiser did not invent the concept of “30 plants per week”, she just incorporated it into her cookbook. I’ve tried quite a lot of it: such as the lentil and carrot stew, the Jerusalem artichoke and carrot pan and the chili sin carne. I’m a huge fan of this eggplant and lentil stew, which I’ve cooked four or five times now. As Seiser suggested in the footnotes, I prepare it in a large cocotte* (29 cm), i.e. a cast iron casserole: chop the ingredients, put it in the oven and after an hour and a half everything is ready.
It is of course true that a cocotte is not a cheap purchase. I once got mine through a combination of REWE collection points/Christmas present. For me the purchase was worth it. If you’re afraid of that, simply prepare the eggplant and lentil stew in a coated pot. How exactly this works is written in the recipe note.
I modified the recipe slightly: Instead of fresh tomatoes, I use chunky canned tomatoes (e.g. from Mutti or Oro di Parma). I also avoid soaking the aubergines in salt water first (which Seiser states is optional anyway).
By the way, the dish goes particularly well in the summer when it is served lukewarm with yoghurt and baguette. Do you love eggplants so much? Then you definitely have to try this recipe: soba noodles with fried eggplant and mango.
By the way: This recipe contains 11 plants: lentils, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, parsley, nana mint, bay leaves, pepper and olive oil.
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Eggplant and lentil stew
PRESS
Ingredients
- 100 G green lentils
- 1-2 elongated eggplants normal eggplants also work; )
- 1 can chunky tomatoes
- 2 red pepper
- 1 Onion
- ½ EL Salca (tomato-pepper paste)
- 1½ EL Parsley chopped
- 1 TL Nana mint dried
- 1 Bay leaf
- ½ TL black pepper
- 2 EL Pomegranate syrup
- 4 EL olive oil
for serving
- yogurt
- Baguette or flatbread
- additional herbs as desired
preparation
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Wash the lentils in a sieve under running water.
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Cut off the ends of the eggplants. Peel the eggplants so that 1 finger-width strip of peel remains alternately. Quarter lengthwise and cut into 4-5 cm long strips.
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Clean the peppers, halve them, remove the stem and seeds and cut them into small strips.
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Peel the onion and garlic and dice small.
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Mix canned tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and eggplant with salça, parsley, mint and bay leaves. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.
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Now add ⅓ of the vegetable mixture, half of the lentils, then half of the eggplant pieces to the cocotte. Add another ⅓ of the vegetable mixture on top. Then layer the remaining eggplant, remaining lentils and remaining vegetable mixture on top.
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Pour pomegranate syrup, olive oil and approx. 100 ml boiling water over it.
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Close the cocotte and cook in a preheated oven at 220°C (top/bottom heat) for approx. 80-90 minutes. Stir once in between.
Notes
If you prepare the dish in a pot, it works like this: You layer everything in the pot as described above. Then close the pot. Bring to the boil and simmer over low heat for 70-80 minutes until the aubergines and lentils are soft.
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