On The Menu :: Lentil and Peanut Bake

I love to make various Bakes at this time of year, I like the warmth and comfort of them very much and prefer them to stews or casseroles. The thing that bakes have over casseroles is melted cheese :: for me, the sight and smell of golden, bubbling, melted cheese provides one big huge dollop of comfort.

And I love lentils too, in particular red/orange lentils. I think they are such an underated ingredient :: they are extremely nutritious, versatile, tasty and economical, which are four supremely good foody adjectives if you ask me. I am always on the lookout for lentilly recipes, and this one is an absolute star. It's a combination of several different recipes I've accumulated, a sort of hybrid-recipe, and I've been making variations of this for a great many years - since my early twenties when I left home and first began to cook for myself. When the Little People were Little Babies, I weaned them on a pureed version of this (minus the peanuts), much to the delight of my Health Visitor who was more used to new Mums using jars of baby food.

Some of the ingredients are interchangeable, some essential.

Make sure you have the following essentials ::

175g red lentils

1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 sticks celery (all chopped)

2 large or 6 new potatoes (cooked and thickly sliced)

100g salted peanuts (roughly chopped/blitzed)

2tbs olive oil, 600ml good stock,1 tsp mixed herbs, 2 tbs tomato puree, 50g cheddar cheese

Optional/interchangeable items are the veg :: courgette, mushrooms, peppers (chopped)

Heat oil in a large pan and fry the onions for 5 minutes or so until soft.

Add the celery and carrots and cook for a few minutes more until softened.

Stir in the lentils, herbs, tomato puree and stock and bring to the boil.

It smells wholesome, looks wholesome, a bit like soup at this stage.

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every so often.

Add in the other vegetables (chopped courgette, mushrooms, peppers), give a good stir and continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes or so.

By now it should be thickening nicely ::  keep an eye on it in these last stages, stirring a bit so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. You need to be aiming for a thick, soft consistency, it can't be too runny or it'll end up like slop, yet it shouldn't go too dry and overcooked either.

When you think it's almost there, add in the peanuts (roughly blitzed/chopped) and stir a few mins more. Taste at this point and add seasoning, but go steady on the salt cos the peanuts are quite salty. Incidentally, you can make this recipe without the peanuts, but they do add a delicious texture to the bake that I find irresistible.

While all this is happening, you should boil your potatoes, skins on, and thickly slice. And here's something to consider :: trying to slice hot boiled potatoes is foolhardy and painful. Ouch. Make sure they have cooled somewhat before attempting to slice, or you might end up having a tizz. I have been here many, many times.

Pour the lentil mixture into a shallow oven proof dish, and arrange your potato slices over the top. Sprinkle with grated cheese and pop under a hot grill until  the cheese has melted and the potatoes are golden brown.

This is real Autumn comfort food, wholesome and hearty. In our house this week it scored about  8/10 with the Little People (there was some griping about the "green bits" aka courgettes). So not bad for an ultra healthy offering of homecooking.

But wait up folks, theres more to tell. This recipe is so very versatile you see.

Another variation you can try is to alter the liquid content. So instead of 600ml of stock, try halving it to 300ml and adding a tin of chopped plum tomatoes. Cook in the same way, but for not quite as long (and perhaps without the peanuts?) and you end up with a gorgeous lentil bolognese mixture, perfect as a pasta sauce, or dolloped onto crispy jacket potatoes.

And there is even more :: if there happens to be any leftovers, throw them into a blender with a little water and blitz it to make a really delicious soup.

Little Lady and I had this soup for lunch yesterday and it was fabulous. Really fabulous.

Hope you give this one a try, I do get enormous pleasure sharing the Attic24 recipes with you and hearing about how it turned out in your household.

Enjoy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ps I'm back in MY Attic yayyyyyy!!

Comments

[make money online]

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[Alice]

Shell, try sweet potatoes?
I made this in December when needing a comforting, make ahead dinner after having a baby. My vegetarian brother loved it when I then made it again for him and it's on the menu this week only without the cheese as I'm off dairy at the mo.

So yummy I always go back for seconds; think I'll have to double the quantities!

[Shell]

Wow! as a confirmed, devout meat eater, I had this at my sisters house the other day and it was really gorgeous! Can definately recommend you give it a whorl!
I'm a type two diabetic and wondered if, instead of using cheese, I could use Feta or 1/2 fat cheddar. Has anyone else done this and what was it like?
Secondly, though New Potatoes are low GI, if I wanted to be really good, would Globe Artichokes work instead?
Going to give these two changes a go and will let you know how I get on.
Lucy, keep up the frugal recipies if they are all like this, more people will benefit. Ta. Love.

[Andrea]

I Finally got round to making this tonight..& now have a very full tum and a happy satisfied husband,,its delicious and so simple..thanks for sharing!.x.

[sumea]

Lucy I am endebted to you. My autistic daughter who is so finnicky with food Loves this recipe Really LOVES it!
Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou.
We are vegetarian and it is generaly Sooooooooo difficult/impossible to persuade her to eat heathily (Protein, Iron etc.). This has done the trick
Bless You
p.s. I Love it too.

[Stephanie]

Hi there, would love to make this, am converting from metric to US measurements right now.....but what exactly are the herbs in the "mixed herbs?" and I'm assuming they are dried herbs? Thanks!

[Genevieve]

This just looks heavenly. What a great idea.

[vanessa]

I imagine that a meal round at your house Lucy would be the most warm, cozy, and delicious affair............. a fun filled evening..............
Just as an aside, I was wondering if you got the e-mail I sent you? I haven't heard back from you, so I was wondering if it got lost in the ether..................

[gardenymph]

This looks so delicious. I'll definitely be making this at some point and I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out. Thanks for sharing! :~)

[Tracy]

Ooh! This looks delish - I can't wait to give it a try. I love lentil-y dishes, the cheese and potatoes make it sound great - 3 favourite ingredients in one!

[jennifer]

as always i will definitely be trying this out, lucy!

thanks for sharing!

[mandy]

that looks yummy! thanks for the recipe, I will give it a try.

[cathleen]

Good morning, lovely Lucy! I will definitely try this...anything with potatoes suits me just fine. By the way, tonight I am making your Sweet and Sour Sausage recipe again....it is so yummy. Have a great day....oh...and when you make muffins....the trick is to NOT over mix after adding the dry ingredients.

[Mrs Be]

Lovely! Are you vegetarians too?

I have a general posting-recipes-on-blogs question: do you post other people's (I'm thinking cookbooks rather than granny's) recipes or do you not because of copyright? I never know so I don't. Just wondering.....I wasn't sure who to ask about this so I've started with you!

[driftwood]

sounds delicious! perfect autumn food, even the right colour for turning leaves and pumpkins

[Daisy Steiner]

Perfect food for this season. I shall be trying to make these at some point in the next week. Yum!

[kathy]

Ooh, yum, will make that one. It looks delicious. Also, try to slice the potatoes before boiling. Kathyx

[Ange]

I too LOVE lentils - hangover from my vegetarian days at college. A big favourite in our house is Lentil Chilli with brown rice. For my little man I put some into another saucepan before I add chilli powder and fresh chillies to the main batch. Then melt in cheese and he has cheesey lentils, which he loved as a baby and still loves! Lentils freeze really well so I always make a huge batch and get it out of the freezer when required. I also cook extra when having tea and bring in the leftovers to reheat at work.

There's a GORGEOUS Jamie Oliver receipe for herby puy lentils which is just devine. He serves it as a side dish to (delicous) salmon, but I also make it by itself! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/salmon-fillet-wrapped-in-prosciutto-with-herby-lentils-spinach-and-yogurt-recipe/index.html

And yes, lentils do make our house a bit 'windy' especially the male 2/3rds of it!!

OK - I'm STARVING now and it's only 11.15am!

[simone]

I am really fancying this recipe. Some nice green beans on the side and some crusty bread and a glug of red wine to drink would finish this dish off nicely. I think I may know what I'm cooking tonight! Thanks Lucy!

[Miriam Glen]

Thanks for another lovely recipe Lucy - another one to try. I love your recipes - they're just the sort of healthy, homey food I like to cook myself.

I've already tried and love your Mackerel Fishcakes and your Penne Frittata and another recipe whose name escapes me just now.

Thanks again, and keep up the good work.

Happy Autumn
Miriam

[claire]

Ooo so pleased to have found you. I'm always on the look out for tasty vegetarian recipes which have been tried and tested. I love lentils too but they do make one rather "windy" don't you agree?

Your house looks lovely and homely too.

[Joanne]

I've never had lentils, but this sure looks lovely, warm and comforting food for this time of year and so colourful.