This is an old-school French classic, country food which is found on many Bistro and Brasserie menus (often served as a side to duck dishes, or as a main with smoked sausage) and is also available canned in any decent supermarket over there. It is easy to make, and a wonderfully warming supper when served with some hot crusty bread and a crisp green salad. While no self-respecting French cook would ever leave out the lardons, vegetarians obviously can do so, and it is still just as tasty. It is one of those dishes which can be made and stored for later, as it gets better every time it is reheated.

01.

Ingredients

200g green lentils, thoroughly washed and rinsed
50g lardons
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
2 navet (white turnip), diced
2 bay leaves
3 tsp Spice Mountain Wild Herbs
3 tsp Spice Mountain Tomato powder
Good grind of black pepper
Flatleaf parsley, dried is fine if you don’t have fresh
Ham or veg stock

02.

Method

  • Heat some olive oil in a pan, then add the lardons, onion, garlic, carrot and navet. Saute for a while on a gentle heat, letting the veg begin to caramelise and soften, before adding the lentils and stirring well till everything is nicely mixed up.
  • Add the tomato powder, herbs and bay leaf, then around 500ml of stock (it is difficult to be precise here, so add less rather than more – you can always add more later on).
  • Let the lentils simmer away for 45mins or so, until the liquid is well reduced and the lentils are cooked al-dente. Finally throw in a generous amount of flatleaf parsley, stir well and serve.