Lentil Lasagna

First, catch and immobilise your lentils. You need to do this by boiling them slowly in some very good stock – I had some excellent beef stock and it did the trick nicely. On this occasion, using a mix of Green lentils and Red lentils – the green ones take far longer to cook, so simmer these slowly until almost completely done, then add the red. Don’t cook the red for any longer than 20 minutes or they’ll turn into mush.

Once this is done, prepare your sauce base – a nice bit of mirapois, can of tomatoes, good bit of seasoning, and a generous cup of red wine – simmer it down, then add the lentils. The longer they can sit there with the heat turned off (possibly even in the fridge overnight) the better – it takes time to get to know a lentil properly.


Armed with this sauce, make the lasagna as usual – the white sauce and the lasagna sheets rarely change. Cooking it slowly on quite a low heat gives it all time to mulch through without burning on top. You can also prepare it quite a while ahead, and it can just sit there, quietly expectant in the oven, ready for you to turn the heat on. Always lovely served with a nice salad. Enjoy.

Baconed Pui lentils with Garlic Cabbage

Fantastic Autumn dish, I thought. Note of caution, I think it was the stock that really made this one, I don't think I'd make it with stock cube. I tend to chuck stock-bones in the freezer just as they are these days, and use them for stock when we need them. You don't even have to defrost them, just bung them in a return a few hours later, it's very easy and the stock is better fresh, I reckon. Yesterday did some pork stock with some gristly, fatty bones and just an onion and loads of very wilting celery – onion with skin on, just chopped. Plenty of salt pepper and bayleaf. How unappetising can it sound... it was just divine stock. Slow simmer in the background for nearly two hours. Well enough about the stock, I'm sure you can make your own, and all you have to do then is:

Soak the pui lentils in it or not, as you feel inclined – soaking will of course reduce cooking time and tend to make them cook more evenly. Cook until tender – hopefully you'll measure your lentils and stock so that most of the liquid is absorbed.

Fry up some chopped red onion and bacon – quantities as you see fit. Tip the result into the lentils.

Boil up some finely shredded cabbage (not too much). Meanwhile deglaze the fryingpan with a bit of white wine, and as it's reducing in the onion and bacon juices squeeze in plenty of crushed garlic, so it cooks through but doesn't get burned. Leave a bit of liquid in there. Then tip in the drained cabbage. Serve with the lentils.

SO tasty.