Endless seasonal riffs on a simple staple

Did you know that pulses count as one of your 5+ a day? We should all be eating at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, but three quarters of adults in the UK don’t get enough with average intakes of just 3.7 portions per day (less in Scotland, 3.4 portions per day).😳

This quick and simple lentil dish delivers a stonking 4.4 portions of veg, nearly NINE TENTHS of your daily target. More than most people eat in a whole day – in just one flavour-packed sitting!

It also contains more fibre than most of us eat in an entire day. Adults are recommended to get around 30g of fibre a day, but average UK intake is only 18g, 60% of what it should be. At 23g per serving, over THREE QUARTERS of the recommended daily amount, this dish will help you totally nail the target!

Plus, it can be made year-round with whatever veggies are in peak season and at their flavourful best. In the last couple of weeks alone, I’ve made this Tomato, Carrot & Basil version, another with Roasted Leeks, Green Beans, Courgette & Parsley, and yet another with Wild Sea Beet, Runner Beans & Chives. In autumn and winter, I use roots like celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes or turnips with plenty fresh thyme and oregano (see my companion recipe, Lentils, Roots, Hazels, Herbs, which I’ll be sharing soon).

Total prep time: The 25 minutes it takes to slow-roast the cherry tomatoes to squishy bursts of intensity – sweet, tangy and umami.

Difficulty: Easy peasy.

Taste: Bursting with bright and punchy flavours.👌

Seasonal riffability: Endless! Choose your veggies – whatever is in peak season and therefore at peak flavour – select some herbs to match, and away you go. To get your culinary imagination going, I’ve given you some flavour-paired combos at the end.

Thinking of optimising your health with your diet?

Work With Me

What’s great about it

Just one serving contains a whopping:
- 4.4 of your ≥5-A-DAY – including one from the lentils
- Over three quarters of your recommended daily fibre intake (23g of 30g)
- A fifth of your weekly plant target.
All those bright colours signify phytochemicals, plant-based chemicals that promote our health and protect us from pretty much all chronic disease via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways. Read more about their health benefits and how to get more of them into your diet in my article, Phytochemicals: Top 10 tips to eat the rainbow and why.

In peak season

When UK-grown produce is at its best and most widely available:

Carrots: June-February
Tomatoes: July-September, although late-season are available on through to November.

Make the tomato and carrot version in July to September/October when British tomatoes are at their peak. Outwith that, mix up the veg as you fancy!

How many of your ≥5-A-Day: 4.4 per serving

Plant points: 7.25 plus your toppings (8.25 with nuts/seeds, 11 dukkah)

Time

Prep: 15 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes

Ingredients (per person, just multiply up as you wish)

Lentils:

60g Hodmedod’s British Organic Olive Green Lentils (these are the traditional French variety, Flora, known as a blonde lentil as the inside is pale yellow)

250ml cold water (I’ve always used water only, but if you have an open bottle, you could replace some of the water with a splosh of white wine. It certainly doesn’t need it, there’s plenty flavour already, but why not if you’ve some around?!)

2 big bay leaves

2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthways

Slow-roasted tomatoes:

125g organic cherry tomatoes

5g/1 teaspoon organic extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

A couple small sprigs of thyme and/or oregano (I usually do 2 of each), leaves picked and roughly chopped

¼ teaspoon flaked sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Carrots:

125g organic carrots, scrubbed, topped, tailed, and cut into sticks about 1cm wide, 6cm long

¼ teaspoon coarse salt / scant ¼ teaspoon finely ground

Dressing:

10g/2 teaspoons organic EVOO

10g/2 teaspoons of Belazu 1.34 or the best quality balsamic vinegar you can get your hands on (for sweetness and depth)

5g/1 teaspoon of a fruity and floral vinegar (for brightness and acidity), see my vinegar recommendations below

10g basil leaves (about ½ standard supermarket-sized packet), a few small leaves set aside for garnish, the rest chopped roughly

¼ teaspoon flaked sea salt (the salt’s crunch is important, so do use flaked vs finely ground)

Freshly ground black pepper

To garnish:

Extra EVOO

10-15g roasted walnuts

Reserved herbs

Method

Slow-roasted tomatoes:

Preheat the oven to 150C and line a baking tray with baking parchment – to avoid scrubbing off caramelised tomato gubbins later!.
Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes then slice them in half – on the horizontal rather than the vertical for a pretty cross-section of the seeds. Place them in the centre of the lined tray, drizzle over the EVOO, sprinkle with the herbs, flaked salt, grind over a few twists of pepper, muddle around with a spatula/spoon to make sure they’re evenly coated in oil, then spread them out so they’re well-spaced apart, turning over any that aren’t already cut side up – for maximum dehydration and concentration of flavour.
Bang into the oven and roast for 25 minutes, by which time they’ll be beautifully caramelised and concentrated in flavour.

Lentils:

4. Get the lentils on the go as soon as the tomatoes are in the oven. Pick them over to check for and remove any small stones, debris, or shrivelled lentils. Rinse in cold water and drain through a sieve.

5. Place in a small saucepan, pour over the cold water, add the bay leaves, garlic and any other flavouring agents you fancy (white wine, other herbs). Cover with the pan lid, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cocking the pan lid slightly, and cook for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are al dente (cooked through but still firm to the bite). Be careful not to overcook them – taste at 20 minutes and then every couple of minutes thereafter. Drain well in a sieve, picking out the bay leaves but leaving in the pieces of garlic.

TOP TIP: Lentils take longer to cook the older they are. I find Hodmedod’s British Organic Olive Green Lentils consistently take 22 or 23 minutes when I first open the pack and 25 minutes as I near the end.

Carrots:

6. Ten minutes into the lentil cooking time, put the carrots on to cook so that they’ll be ready at around the same time as the lentils and tomatoes. Place in a separate saucepan, cover with boiling water, add the salt, bring to the boil then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until they’re just tender in the centre but still nice and firm. Also drain well.

Dressing:

7. Meantime, prepare the dressing. Add the EVOO, vinegars, and a few twists of black pepper to a large mixing bowl and whisk to a smooth emulsion. Throw over the chopped basil.

8. Rub the roasted walnuts between your fingers/in a clean tea towel to flake off most of the papery skin – it tastes bitter. Chop roughly and set aside.

Assembly:

9. As soon as they’re each ready (they must be hot to soak up the flavours), add the well-drained lentils and carrots to the mixing bowl and stir to coat in the dressing.

10. Take the roasted tomatoes out of the oven and add them too, scraping all the juices, salt and herbs off the tray into the mixing bowl with a spatula – don’t leave a scrap behind – you want all that tangy, herby umami in the dish not on the lining paper!

11. Crumble over the ¼ teaspoon of flaked salt from the dressing – deliberately added last to minimise dissolving and max out its crunch.

12. Toss everything together – gently to avoid breaking the carrots, but thoroughly to ensure everything is evenly coated in the dressing and herbs.

13. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more balsamic vinegar for sweetness / more Rose-Scented Geranium/moscatel/white wine/other vinegar of your choice for sharpness / a dash of ume vinegar or a touch more salt if it’s not quite salty enough. (I usually add another teaspoon of balsamic vinegar at this point, but everyone’s tastes are different, so taste and go with your own flow.)

14. Immediately turn out onto a serving plate/bowl. Add a good slug of EVOO – at least a dessertspoon. Sprinkle over the chopped nuts/seeds/dukkah if using and finish with the reserved herbs.

15. Eat immediately while still warm.

Recommended products & stockists

Balsamic vinegar: Density is a key indicator of balsamic vinegar quality – generally speaking, the thicker the vinegar, the better the quality. Thirty-four percent thicker than water, Belazu 1.34 is the syrupiest, sweetest, best tasting balsamic I know. Available direct, from Waitrose, Sainsburys, Ocado, plus loads of indies.
A fruity and floral vinegar: I use my Rose-Scented Geranium Vinegar. The recipe will be in my forthcoming book, meantime Belazu Moscatel Wine Vinegar is an excellent alternative, similarly soft and bursting with gorgeous florals. More widely available, their Chardonnay Vinegar is another great option. Available direct, from Ocado, indies, and Waitrose for the Chardy.
Ume plum vinegar: When checking and adjusting the taste, I sometimes add a few dashes of Clearspring Organic Japanese Ume Su for salty sourness. Available from most health food stores and widely online.

Serving suggestions

Great on its own for lunch or a light supper.
On hungrier days or for hungrier people, add a little pancetta or bacon, pan fried until crispy. Or some goats cheese, with which lentils have a particular affinity – I LOVE it dotted with a few spoonfuls of Drumturk Cheeses’ Scottish Goats Curd, available locally from Mellis from April to September and for most of the year from maker Denise Ferguson’s farm shop in Blairgowrie, Perthshire.
Or serve as a side to fish or meat. Lentils are great with salmon, roasted chicken, pork, and sausages, especially smoked sausages.

Variations

Effortlessly up plant diversity in your diet, the single greatest determinant of gut health, by mixing up the various elements with the seasons and your fancy on the day. Here are some stellar flavour combos to guide you.

Veg: There’s not many veg that don’t go with lentils, but they’re especially good with celery, celeriac, and alliums of all kinds (leeks, onions, spring onions, shallots). Right now, I’m just imagining them with some red onions roasted until they’re all squishy and caramelised – yum! In summer, aubergine, bell peppers, courgette and spinach are all fab options. In autumn and winter, more substantial veg like butternut squash, pumpkin, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips or turnips hit the spot – check out my companion recipe, Lentils, Roots, Hazels, Herbs, which I’ll be sharing soon.
Herbs: There’s no shortage of options! Tomatoes, carrots and lentils go with chervil, chives, coriander, dill, lovage, flat-leaf parsley, oregano and thyme. Mix and match as you please. Try a little fresh rosemary in with the roasted tomatoes instead of thyme and/or oregano, about 1 teaspoon finely chopped. If you’re using other veg, just ask yourself, what herbs do these veg go with?
Nuts/seeds: Roasted walnuts work beautifully, adding a lovely roastiness that’s quiet enough to let all the other ingredients shine through. You’ve got other options though:
- Dukkah really amps up the flavour intensity, but go lightly as too much overpowers the other players – a heaped teaspoon does it
- Tomatoes and carrots also pair well with almonds or hazelnuts
- I’ve not tried them yet, but imagine toasted sunflower seeds or the deep savouriness of toasted pumpkin seeds would be good.
Lentils: Why not switch it up with some of our other organic lentils, coral or black (aka beluga)?

References

Enter text here

Green lentils, slow-roasted cherry tomatoes, carrots, basil