lentil | forage in the pantry.

Roasted Chicken, Creamy Lentils, Salsa Verde

February 18, 2021 Comments Off read Poultry

uy lentils, cream, Dijon, salsa verde and chicken. One of France’s greatest flavour combinations. There is nowhere to hide here; its an honest, humble dish best served with a creamy Burgundian chardonnay. A cinnamon infused apple tart tatin and a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream would be a welcome dessert…

Salsa verde will enhance so many dishes and meats from lamb cutlets to steak and is one of my favourite sauces. The acidic and sharp flavour cuts through the creamy lentils and gives your chicken a herby hug. The below is a guide to measurements but I often throw in some rouge coriander and adjust the quantities to taste so use yours!

This would also work really well with 1 whole roasted chicken, carved or chicken thighs!

Serves 2

2 free range chicken supremes with skin OR chicken breasts with skin on (try and get the best you can afford, its make the world of difference)
4oz Puy lentils (green lentils also work)
1 vegetable stock cube
3 heaped tbsp creme fraiche (I use half fat)
Greens – to serve

Salsa Verde – this you will have leftover and will keep for a few days in the fridge

1 bunch basil
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 bunch mint, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves
Handful capers
Handful gherkins
2 heaped tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil

Start with the salas verde. Chuck everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Add plenty of salt and pepper and then add enough oil to get your desired consistency. Taste and adjust as needed adding a bit more vinegar/Djion/ salt and pepper to your liking. Set aside.
Next season the chicken well and preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and add a splash of olive oil.
When hot, add the chicken skin side down and cook for about 3-4 minutes just to get that skin crisp and golden. Once there, turn onto the flesh side to seal it and then pop the chicken in the oven for 20-25 minutes (I used really large chicken supremes so if yours are smaller the cooking time will vary – check after 15 min by touch to see how they are getting along!)
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and whisk in the stock cube. Add the lentils, bring to a strong simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Again, you don’t want to overcook these. Check after 15 minutes and allow for a nice bite. If you overcook they will go mushy!
Once cooked, drain and season well. Add the creme fraiche and stir well.
Once the chicken is ready remove from the oven and let rest for a minute. Slice into thick slices at an angle.
To plate, spoon a generous portion of creamy lentils onto a plate. Top with your chicken and finally a spoonful of that vibrant salsa verde.

Carrot & Red lentil Dhal

January 31, 2019 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

or no reason other than me, my other half cooks…rarely. But he can cook. Well and naturally. Its the ideas bit that, like many people, makes him begrudge the thought of it, especially for someone else.

But tonight was my night! Or his night I should say. A late spinning class for me and a WFH day for him meant he was on duty and as I pumped out the sweat of a long day I thought wildy about what he had chosen.

Door open – curry house smells. Good start.

hilst I know he can cook, I never know quite what to expect. He once told me he was making orange chicken. Yes, quite literally chicken cooked in orange juice which, after I laughed (and gagged) our way home, was delicious. So I’ve learned to trust him. And what I like most is the imagination of someone else that makes me eat things I wouldn’t have thought of.

here are occasions when you try something for the first time, where your brain stores the sensory information and captures it with a special binding memory. These occasions when you think back to that first taste. Where the memories are supported by the moment, the place, the need or desire for that food, the weather! These are memories that get better with time and sit on thrones in your mind ready to be disappointingly not as good as you remember.

This I found out the easy way as I recreated this dish for him this evening. One which I see being a weekly dinner staple. That first taste was devine. A mix of ‘not-having-a-clue-what-on-earth-this-would-taste-like’ and pure desire.

weet, filling, hearty and can be eaten with pillowey soft flatbreads or naan and fingers if you really want. He did. We enjoyed it.

Adapted from Healthy Food Guide (for which I will now read more often)

Ingredients

Serves 3 hungry people, add a handful more lentils for 4.

1tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
500g carrot, grated
1 tbsp curry powder
500ml vegetable stock
100g red lentils
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
4 naans/flatbread (see here)
Coriander to serve
Yoghurt to serve, add some lime for a zing

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them sizzle and pop. Stir in the carrot and the curry powder and let the carrot sweat for about 10 minutes.
Add the lentils and stock and stir. Simmer for 30 minutes until cooked and reduced.
Loosen the peanut butter with a bit of hot water if thick, and then whisk it into the lentil, making sure it disperses.
Season and simmer for a few more minutes until a nice thick consistency (up to you).
Serve on, or alongside warm pitta, naan bread or homemade flat breads. Add a dollop of yoghurt and some coriander and serve.