Lentils can be so versatile. They are ideal all year round since they make excellent salads in the summer days, but they work great in all kind of soups and stews as well, so what better than a nice, hot lentil stew to warm you up in winter time!

The combination of red lentils, buckwheat and fresh spinach together with fresh dill and the exotic touch of spices like turmeric, coriander and cumin made this dish taste both like Indian vegan curry and Greek spanakorizo (rice with spinach). For the Odd Fork, that meant success! 

Ingredients:

- 1 cup lentils (red, or any of choice)
- 1 cup buckwheat
- olive oil
- 3 spring onions finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/3 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/3 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/3 tsp coriander seeds
- salt, pepper
- a star anise
- 300 gr fresh spinach, cleaned and chopped
- a bunch of fresh dill finely chopped
- fresh lemon juice for serving

Wash buckwheat very well and soak in water overnight. Add about a tbsp of olive oil in a pot and sauté spring onions, then add turmeric, fennel seeds, cumin and coriander seeds and sauté for 1 - 2 minutes. Add water in the pot and when it comes to a boil add star anise, lentils and buckwheat drained and simmer with the pot covered for about an hour, until lentils and buckwheat are tender.
Add salt, pepper, spinach and dill and boil for another 10 to 15 minutes. It should be a thick stew, which will look more like a risotto than a soup.
Serve hot with fresh lemon juice. It is a hearty, nutritious and surely very aromatic meal!