LENTILS SOUP - 'LENTEJAS'

This is a very typical Spanish dish. Most families in Spain eat 'lentejas' once a week during the winter. It is rather heavy (a bowl would be more than enough for lunch) but also very healthy - and cheap too.
You need:
-250 gr of lentils (you may be able to find 'lentejas pardinas' in the supermarket; otherwise Puy lentils are fine too). Ideally you should soak them in water for a few hours.
-1 leak (sliced thinly)
- half a red pepper and half a green pepper (no need to cut them)
- 2 carrots cut in small cubes
- 100 gr green beans (sliced thinly)
- 4 cloves of garlic (sliced thinly)
- salt
- 2 table spoons of olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- half a teaspoon of sweet paprika
- a little bit of parsley (cut thinly)
- water - around 750 ml
Heat the pan with the olive oil (medium to high heat). When the oil is hot add all the ingredients and fry them for 4-5 minutes. Add the water (enough to just cover all the ingredients). Let it all boil and then reduce the heat. Let it simmer for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are tender. If you do this in a express pan ( I use this a lot) it will be ready in just 10 minutes.
Once it is ready take out the peppers and a few lentils (half a cup) and  blend  them (with a hand held mixer or in a blender). Put the blended peppers back in the pan, and mix them well with the rest of the lentils. That is all there is to it.
Best manner to eat the lentils is to serve them very hot with a tablespoon of good red wine vinegar.
Kids like it with a few small cubes of chorizo sprinkled over the lentils (you will need to  fry the chorizo first for a couple of minutes or to cook it in the microwave for just 20-30 seconds)
The children helped to mix all the ingredients and to throw them into the pan. They liked the hand held blender but it is very dangerous so you should hold the blender with them if you allow them to use it.

PARTRIDGE 'ESTOFADA'

This is a recipe from my grandmother. She was an amazing cook. She cooked with love - in fact you knew how much she loved you just by looking at what she had cooked for you. She never used any written recipes, nor did she write them herself, yet her wisdom in the kitchen has passed from her to my mum and from my mum to me - as I hope it will go from me to my children and then to their children.
This is not a recipe where children can help a lot, but I think they learn just by watching you and smelling and tasting as you go. My mother cooked this dish with me and while we were cooking we told the kids stories about my grandma - it was a  magical time for them.
You need:
-2 partridges
- 2 onions (medium size)
- half red pepper
- half green pepper
- 4 cloves of garlic
- a carrot
- a little bit of parsley (cut thinly)
- 1 bay leave
- olive oil (just enough to cover the base of the pan plus a bit more)
- vinegar (1.5 tablespoons)
- salt
- 1 glass of water
Put most of the oil on a frying pan. Add the salt to the partridges and fry them (seal them) until they are golden. Taken the partridges out and put them aside. In the same pan add the rest of the oil and throw in the onions, carrots and garlic cut in small cubes as well as the parsley and the bay leaf. Let it all fry over  medium heat  until it is all golden.  Put the partridges back in the pan with the golden vegetables, add the vinegar and the glass of water, put the lid over the pan and let it simmer for 45 minutes. Take the lid off and there it is: the most delicious poultry you could possibly imagine.