Late Summer Lentils with liver / or toasted Halloumi

Puy lentils, one carb that can be cooked simply and still instills extravagance to me - or possibly this may be the romantic in me that associates these little green jewels with the South of France.

One of my tastiest suppers which takes a few nods from difference recipes over the past number of years (I won't admit how many) and which, is simply great at this time of year with the end of season celery and fennel.

 

The lentils:

• 150 grams of puy lentils
• 200 grams of roughly chopped fennel and celery (in equal proportions), include the tops of the celery if available, also roughly chopped
• One medium onion, roughly chopped
• Two large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 20 grams of finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• Water/vegetable stock to cover
• 25 grams of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Heat the butter and oil in a shallow pan and add the vegetables and herbs and cook slowly until softened. 

Add the lentils and mix together with the vegetables until each jewel is glistening with the juices in the pan.  Turn the heat up and add your liquid, enough to cover the mixture to about a half to three quarters of a cm above the surface.  Bring to just below the oil and then simmer slowly until cooked.  Add more liquid if you feel the need.

Accompaniments:

Liver can strike most people with dread, but whether using chicken liver or, at this time of year, rabbit liver may be on offer from some artisan butchers, this is really good partnership with this dish.  Prepare your liver, clean and sliced, not too thinly, and fry in butter until brown on the outside and still pink, inside, but solid not raw.  At the end of the cooking add a little cider vinegar and let it evaporate in the heat of dish. 

Serve on top of the lentils with perhaps some chopped parsley or finely chopped tops of celery.

Alternatively, this goes very well with toasted Halloumi which is then mixed into the lentil mixture immediately before serving.  Or, for just an extra ten minutes, try slicing Brie or Camembert over the lentils in a shallow ovenproof dish and bake in a moderate oven until the cheese melts through and is just turning brown.