Start the base: Set a Dutch oven or other heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and let it warm for about 30 seconds.

Add the chopped onion, green bell pepper, and carrot to the pot. Cook, stirring every minute or so, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables look soft and glossy.

Add the sliced garlic to the pot. Stir for about 30 seconds, just until it smells fragrant.

Stir the tomato paste into the vegetables. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often, until the paste darkens slightly and coats the vegetables.

Add the ground cumin and dried oregano to the pot. Stir for 15 seconds so the spices bloom in the hot oil and tomato paste.

Build the stew: Add the rinsed brown lentils to the pot. Stir once so the lentils are coated with the vegetable mixture.

Pour the vegetable broth into the pot. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any bits stuck there.

Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a full boil.

Lower the heat so the liquid bubbles gently. Partly cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the potato pieces to the pot and stir them into the broth.

Partly cover the pot again and keep simmering for 15 to 18 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the lentils are almost soft.

Add the drained chickpeas and halved green olives to the pot. Stir and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the chickpeas are hot and the lentils are fully tender.