- ¼ cup (65 ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 medium bunches scallions, trimmed, white part cut across into ¼-inch (.5-cm) pieces, enough green part cut across to make ½ cup (15 g)
- 1 pound (450 g) brown lentils
- 5½ to 6 cups (1.2 to 1.5 l) Basic Chicken Stock or commercial chicken broth
- 3 small cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 1/3 pounds (580 g) green Swiss chard, stemmed (stems reserved for another use), leaves roughly chopped
- 1 medium bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil, paprika, and cumin over low heat, stirring, until the spices are aromatic, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the scallion whites. Cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lentils, stock, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are almost done.
- Stir in the scallion greens, chard, cilantro, and lemon juice. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the chard is cooked through and the lentils are soft. Season with salt, if necessary, and pepper.