‘Per Aspera ad Astra – through adversity to the stars’
Lentil Bolognese is a great quarantine recipe. It is made of pantry goods and leftover or wilting vegetables. I made this in my third week of quarantine when my cupboard and fridge were depleted but it has been one of Mr B’s favourite dishes so far.
I often find that the recipes that were made using leftovers or with humble dry ingredients like lentils and beans are my favourite dishes. In both Indian and Italian cuisine there are many examples of this. Pakora’s or Bhaji’s where created to use up leftover or wilting vegetables and are now a favourite appetizer on Indian menus. Panzanella (bread salad) was created to use up left over bread and arancini to use up leftover risotto. Thus, remembering adversity can bring wonderful and lasting beauty, is good to remember in the kitchen, just as it is in everyday life.
This lentil Bolognese dish is great to make in bulk and can be used in many different ways. I like to eat it as soup, Mr B with chickpea pasta and at the weekends I sometimes use it to make empanadas. It is high in protein, minerals and fibre with added spices and herbs giving a boost to your immunity.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup celery or fennel, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1.5 cups of petit lentils
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 4 cups tomato passata
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh herbs, parsley and basil, if available
Method
- Heat the oil and gently fry the onions, celery/fennel and carrots
- Season with salt and pepper
- Once starting to soften, 8-10 minutes
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
- Add the tomato passata and cook for 2 minutes
- Add the lentils, stock and bay leaf’s and leave to simmer
- The Bolognese is ready when the lentils are soft
- Serve with pasta or rice and top with herbs
