About the Recipe
Yes, I know: lentils – such a vegan cliché! But I really don’t care as I love those little buggers plus they are cheap, sustainable for the planet and nutrient dense.
This is not necessarily a dish on its own; I would probably serve it as a side course, an addition to my vegan table that usually seems to resemble a buffet, meaning: a bit of everything, yes please 🙂
Ingredients
300g Puy lentils*, thoroughly rinsed
4 bay leaves
2 tomatoes
4-6 garlic cloves
2 cubes or 3 tbsp. vegetable bouillon
Dollop of extra virgin olive oil
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste
*You can also try to get the Petite Estoria, Spanish Pardina or Petite Castillo
Preparation
Start by ‘preparing’ the bay leaves. To get the most aroma from them you need to literally crush the leaves and put them into a small pan. Pour over 100 ml of boiling water and add a pinch of salt – this will get the boiling point of water to 102°C and extract more flavour. Boil for 5 minutes and then put aside.
Place the lentils, tomatoes, garlic, bouillon cubes, bay water in a medium size pot and top up with 1 litre of water. Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for another 25 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
Mix in a dollop of good quality olive oil, salt & pepper to taste and serve warm.