Operation Lentils.

After talking to Hannah (of We Have All The Wine!) last night on Skype, I really wanted to try lentils. Hannah said that she'd tried a recipe the weekend before which had puy lentils in and she'd really enjoyed it. So, today, I thought I'd pick some up whilst I was at the supermarket. Lentils are pulses which are high in protein and low in calories. They have the texture of beans or peas and are pretty tasteless on their own - but pick up the flavour of what they're cooked in. I decided to follow Hannah's lead and have peppers stuffed with lentils and mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients:
30g lentils (mine were green).
1 pepper.
1 onion.
1 carton of passata.
Salt, pepper and herbs to taste.
1 ball of mozzarella cheese.

 

1. Chop your onion and brown it in a large pan. The reason for doing this is so that your lentils will take on the flavours of the onion when put in the same pan. At the same time, cut your pepper in half by cutting around the stalk and then make one cut from side to side.

2. Boil your lentils as per the packet's instructions. Twenty minutes works well. Don't be alarmed by how small the portion looks. They swell... a LOT. Look at this for an example. This is lentils submerged in boiling water for ONE minute compared to what they were before.

3. Add the carton of passata to your fried onion. Stir them together whilst adding the salt, pepper and herbs you like.

4. Add the cooked lentils to your passata mixture.

5. Simmer until reduced and cooked thoroughly. At this point, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and cut your ball of mozzarella into slices ready to be placed on top.

6. Spoon the lentil mixture into your cut peppers and add sliced mozzarella to the top. I added a little in the middle to give a nice surprise.

7. Put in the oven for approximately 10-15 minutes.

8. Enjoy. :)