Put the lentils in a large sieve and wash thoroughly under the cold tap. Place in a saucepan, and cover well with cold water - by about 5cm. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down. Cover the pan and simmer until the lentils are just tender, but still retain some bite, about 30 minutes.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the vegetables. Top & tail and peel the carrots, then chop them into medium dice. Also peel and chop the onion, again into medium dice. See our onion Tip. Peel the tomatoes by stabbing them all over with a knife, then soaking in boiling water. See our tomato Tip. Chop roughly, removing the stalk and any tough white core. Roughly chop the garlic. See our garlic Tip. We like to add a lot, about 5 or 6 cloves. But if you don't like garlic that much, 2 or 3 will do. Roughly chop the ham, removing a little of the white fat if you want it leaner.
While the lentils are cooking, get ahead on the salad. Make a lemon vinaigrette - follow the steps in our vinaigrette Tip, but replace the vinegar with an equal quantity of lemon juice. Store in the fridge until needed. Remove the outer leaves of the lettuce and chop the rest roughly. Discard the stem and the very tip of the green, and place the chopped lettuce in a serving bowl. Shave the Manchego, this is easiest with a potato peeler, and add to the lettuce, reserving some to garnish. Snip over the chives, and again reserve some to serve. Cover the salad and keep in the fridge until needed (do not dress it until you are ready to serve).
When the lentils are tender, drain them, retaining the cooking liquid for later.
You are now ready to cook the stew. Add some oil to a large high-sided frying pan or casserole, and set over a medium heat. Add the carrots and onions, and cook until just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for about another 2 minutes, until the garlic smell rises.
Add the ham, and cook for about another 5 minutes, until the fat renders and the meat darkens slightly.
Add the wine, and turn up the heat to help burn off the alcohol. Add the chopped tomatoes, paprika and a seasoning of salt & black pepper. Make sure the sauce is bubbling hot, then turn the heat down and simmer until the sauce thickens, about another 5 to 8 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, chop the parsley. See our herb Tip. When the sauce has reduced, add the lentils, along with a little of the cooking liquid. You want to slacken the sauce, but still have a thick stew. Add the chopped parsley. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Simmer until everything is warmed through, about another 5 minutes.
While the stew is simmering, dress the salad. Toss the leaves in the vinaigrette, then shave over some more Manchego. Finish with a few more snipped chives.
Sever the stew with the salad on the side. A crusty roll is good to mop up the tasty sauce!
Enjoy!
