I first fell in love with the tiny Italian brownish green Umbrian Castelluccio lentils on a working trip in Italy, where I ate a delicious lentil salad that had been cooked with onions and garlic and then simply dressed with garlicky olive oil and vinegar and lots of fresh parsley. The lentils are similar to French Puy ones which are great in salads and stews as they tend not to fall apart, keeping their shape well in long cooking.
 
This stew is great on its own with crusty bread and a green salad, but is also lovely as a side dish with pretty much anything. I love it with grilled cheesy polenta slices, or very un-Italian herby, cheesy mashed potatoes for the ultimate comfort supper. It’s great on top of sourdough toast, brushed with olive oil and topped with plenty of Parmesan, or you could also add cooked small shaped pasta into leftovers to make it go even further. Limitless possibilities!

SERVES 4 • Prep time: 15 minutes • Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil + extra as needed
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium carrot, diced small or sliced thinly
• 1 stick celery, chopped finely
• 300g dried castelluccio lentils or small brown or green speckled lentils
• 400g tin tomatoes, chopped up a bit in the tin
• Salt and pepper
• Flat leaf parsley

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan (I like to use my favourite cast iron pot for this) over a medium heat, and add all the prepared vegetables. Fry them for a couple of minutes and then reduce the heat a little and gently for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and allow them to soften without browning. Reduce the heat further if the onion or garlic are taking on too much colour.
2. When the onion is soft and just beginning to turn golden, add the rinsed lentils and a little more oil if necessary. Stir to coat them in the oil for a minute or so, then add the chopped tinned tomatoes and the bay leaf.
3. Refill the tomato tin with cold water and swirl around the collect all tomatoey remnants before adding to the pot. Add a further tin of cold water to the pan, increase the heat and bring the stew to the boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover with a lid, and cook for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are tender but with some bite to them and not mushy. Stir occasionally to ensure the stew doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan and keep an eye on the liquid, topping up if it is getting too thick before the lentils are properly cooked.
4. Season well with salt and plenty of black pepper, a generous glug of olive oil (you could use your best extra virgin one here) and a handful of chopped parsley stirred through. Serve with a little more oil drizzled over.
5. This stew improves by being made in advance as it reheats well, and will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You could also freeze this in portions.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• pinch garam masala
• pinch asafoetida
• 1 x 400g tin brown lentils or 200g dried brown lentils cooked until soft
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• handful fresh coriander, chopped
• 4 peppers, mixed colours, halved lengthways
• paneer for crumbling (optional)
• salt

Method

1. Heat the ghee in a large sauté pan over a medium heat, add the cumin seeds, green chilli, ginger and garlic and sauté until browned. Add the onion and cook until golden-brown. Then add the chilli powder, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, asafoetida and season to taste with salt. Add a splash of water and mix well till the spices cook. Now add the cooked lentils and mix well. At this stage of if the mixture looks wet then keep cooking to dry it out. If it looks dry already then you can mix well and turn off heat. Add the fresh coriander leaves and stir through.
2. Steam the halved peppers for around 5 minutes, until they change colour. Allow to cool slightly before stuffing the peppers with the lentil mixture.
3. Just before serving, heat some oil or ghee in a frying pan and fry the stuffed peppers until browned on the bottoms and sides. Top with crumbled paneer if using and serve straight away.
4. Serve with warm flatbreads or have on its own as part of a special Sunday brunch.