Puy Lentils with Roasted Beetroot & Red Peppers

Lentils with roasted beetroot

One of my favourite accompaniments, although I love mashed potato, sometimes a lentil or three hits the spot just a little bit more.

With this recipe, the beetroot and red peppers are sweet and the earthy lentils compliment them marvellously.

Ingredients:

• 1 large overgrown organic beetroot or three or four regular sized ones (peeled and cubed if the former, cut into quarters or eighths depending on the size of the latter)
• 2 medium sized red peppers (roughly chopped)
• a good glug of olive oil
• a good pinch of ground sea salt
• 2 ozs of salted butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled, halved and sliced thinly
• 1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 dessert spoon of dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 4 dessert spoons of chopped fresh sorrel, plus a few ripped leaves set aside for later
• 6 oz of puy lentils
• 1 pint of stock
• 1 large glass of white wine

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees centigrade and prepare the beetroot and red peppers in a bowl,  adding the salt and oil and tossing in the bowl before placing on a baking tray and place in the oven on the middle shelf for about 30-40 minutes.  The beetroot should a little crisp on the outside and soft centred.

In a deep sided frying pan (with a lid) or a saucepan, soften the onions and garlic over a medium heat with the butter.  Add the lentils and stir through to evenly coat with the onion mixture and then add the dry herbs and half of the chopped fresh sorrel.  Stir well and then add the stock and cover the pan and lower the heat.  When the liquid is simmering slowly, uncover the pan and continue to cook through until almost all the liquid in gone.

Add the wine and recover.  Again, as the liquid comes to simmer uncover the pan and this time add the remaining chopped fresh sorrel. Continue cooking until almost all the liquid has gone.  Take off the heat and recover the pan.

Test the beetroot and if ready add these to the lentils.

Serve with the remaining ripped leaves.

This goes very well with many kinds of protein and non-protein pairings.  Handmade sausages, pan fried fish, as do halumi and falafel.

Leave these lentils to go cold and this is a very tasty packed lunch.  Add some pine nuts and some chopped feta.