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Spicy lentils and chick peas

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course

Ingredients

  • Big splodge of olive oil
  • 1/4 onion finely chopped or celery if you prefer
  • One clove of garlic crushed and finely chopped
  • Splodge of red wine vinegar
  • 3 or 4 large mushrooms finely chopped this is optional but does give the dish better taste and texture
  • 2 x vegetable stock cubes (I prefer Knorr but Oxo will do
  • Paprika big spoonful
  • Some chilli flakes to taste don’t go mad
  • Cinnamon one big tsp full, or more to taste
  • Squirt of tomato puree
  • Tin of chopped tomatoes
  • Big handful of red lentils
  • Tin of chick peas
  • Handful of frozen mixed veg
  • Rocket or spinach
  • Water from the kettle to hand to top up if it gets dry
  • Rice and/or bread to accompany.

Instructions

  • Boil kettle
  • Chop onion and put in pan with olive oil and red wine vinegar, stir and allow to marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  • Chop the optional mushrooms and the garlic finely and once the onion is translucent, add to the pan (you probably need to add some more olive oil as the mushrooms soak up any liquid almost instantly.
  • Add paprika, cinnamon and chilli flakes and stir in thoroughly so the ingredients are coated.
  • Season lightly with salt and go a bit heavier with pepper
  • Add tomato puree and stir in thoroughly
  • Add stock cubes and a splash of water from the kettle. Keep stirring until there is a gloopy dollop in the pan, not too runny but not too thick. Add more water if required.
  • Add tin of chopped tomatoes and stir thoroughly.
  • Rinse lentils in a sieve and add to the pan stirring thoroughly. Heat should be medium/low (don’t over-heat and needs 25 minutes.
  • Be attentive and stir frequently or the lentils will stick to the bottom. Add water from the kettle gradually as the lentils will absorb the water – add in small amounts, don’t drown the dish, just enough to keep it loose but not sloppy. If it’s too sloppy it’ll be like gravy on the plate!
  • Add rice to boil depending on cooking time (RTFM!).
  • With 10 minutes to go, add the chick peas (empty into a sieve first and rinse before adding) and the frozen vegetables
  • At the end of the 25 minutes, stir in some rocket (or spinach) until it goes limp, for colour and flavour.
  • Serve with rice and/or bread and a light salad.