Okay, I know I’ve waxed poetic about my love of the Ottolenghi cookbooks. Basically, I’m pretty obsessed with both and right now. It’s basically been a hit parade whenever I cook something from these two books. The hype is definitely worth it.
Those who know me know that I don’t spend too much time obsessing over what I eat. Sure, I spend time planning out what I’m going to eat in any given week, but I don’t really think about balancing carbs vs. meat vs. vegetarian meals. My theory is that I just listen to what my body wants and assume it will all balance itself out. I think it usually does. Sometimes my body wants steak and sometimes it wants veggies. As long as I listen it tends to work itself out.
The other day I was after something a bit veg-based so I turned to Plenty for inspiration where I came across this dish. I’m a huge fan of lentils and eggplant so this recipe had me at “hello”. I was intrigued by the contrast in textures… the bite of the lentils, the crunch of the vegetables, the smoothness of the eggplant and the cool creaminess of the yogurt on top.
To be honest, I wasn’t really sure how this one was going to turn out. I like the components individually but something about this didn’t scream out “meal” to me at all. But I plowed through anyway and of course it was great! I’m a big fan of dishes that force me to make the perfect bite. You all know about the perfect bite, right? It’s when you get that one forkful that has a little bit of each component of the dish. Fewer things in life make me happier than the perfect bite I tell you. Give this one a go.
Ottolenghi’s Lentils with Broiled Eggplant
2 medium eggplants
2 Tbs top-quality red wine vinegar
salt/pepper
1 cup small dark lentils (Puy or Castelluccio), rinsed
3 small carrots, peeled
2 celery stalks
1 bay leaf
3 thyme sprigs
1/2 white onion
3 Tbs olive oil, plus extra to finish
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbs each roughly chopped parsley, cilantro and dill
2 Tbs Greek yogurt or creme fraiche
1. Pierce eggplants with a sharp knife in a few places. Put them on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil for about an hour turning every 15 minutes for even broiling. Allow the eggplants to deflate completely. You’ll know they’re done once deflated and the skin is burned and broken.
2. Remove eggplants from heat. Heat oven down to 275. Split eggplants in half and scoop out the flesh into a colander making sure there are no bits of skin. Drain for 15 minutes and season with salt, pepper and d 1/2 Tbs of the red wine vinegar.
3. While eggplants are broiling, place lentils in a medium saucepan. Cut one carrot and half a celery stalk into large chunks and add them to the pot. Add the bay leaf, thyme, and onion, and cover with plenty of water (water should cover lentils and vegetables by 2 inches). Simmer over low heat for up to 25 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain and remove and discard the carrot, celery, bay leaf, onion and thyme and put the lentils into a bowl. Add the remaining vinegar, 2 Tbs olive oil, and salt/pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. Dice the remaining carrot and celery and mix with the tomatoes, remaining Tbs oil, sugar and some salt. Spread in ovenproof dish and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the carrot is tender but still firm.
5. Add the cooked vegetables to the warm lentils, followed by the chopped herbs and stir gently. Taste and adjust seasonings as you like. Spoon lentils onto serving plates. Pile some eggplant in the center of each portion and top it off with a dollop of yogurt or creme fraiche. Finish with a drizzle of oil.
Serves 4
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
