Recipie of the Week

Its been a very stormy, windy, dark and damp week weatherwise where I am ... very wintery indeed, and the type of weather which calls for extremely comforting and warming food, like lentil casserole with mash. This stew is an easy peasy French dish which both my mother and grandfather would make regularly, sometimes with lamb necks in it. Well ... it doesn't need the lamb necks but if you are a carnivore, it's very nice with them. The mash is made using those new potaotes you can get which taste as if they have butter built into them. Creamy and delicious. So for my vegan version of this traditional french dish, here's how:

Lentil Stew:

Sweat 1 large onion in a tablespoon olive oil and when translucent, add a chopped carrot or two. You can also at this point add any other veg you might have hanging around, like celery or celeriac, swede - anything. Toss that around the pan, then add some crushed garlic to taste, I would add about two cloves. Add the lentils, then one glass of white wine. Let the wine sizzle down a little, then cover the whole lot with water - about 2 pints. Do NOT add salt at this point as it will make the lentil skins tough. I add copious amounts of freshly ground black pepper as this gives the dish a spicy taste. Cover, bring to the boil, then simmer, adding more water if it looks like the pan will go dry, until the lentils are tender and the liquid has reduced. What you should have is a thick "soupy" sort of texture. At this point, you can add seasoning, either salt, bouillion powder, stock cubes, herbs etc., I use 2 tbs vegan bouillon powder (of the marigold brand variety), a dash or two of tamari (to taste), some fresh parsley.

For the potatoes, I use Jersey Royals and leave the skin on. Boil them until tender, then crush them with a fork. Add a little salt, some pepper to taste and a glug of olive oil. Use extra virgin olive oil if you like a strong taste, or normal if you want the potato taste to be prominent. Add freshly chopped parsley - some cooked cabbage if you like, then combine so that the mash is lumpy but holds together well.

Serve and enjoy!