PUY LENTILS WITH AUBERGINE, TOMATOES AND YOGHURT
Why this one?
Being on a constant quest to eat more vegetarian meals and increases the pules in our diet this dish immediately jumped out at me. It looked wholesome and good for you but knowing it would pack a flavour punch thanks to Ottolenghi's magic I added it to our meal plan. I was also drawn to this because it was a whole meal, many of the dish's in SIMPLE are fantastic as a mezze but for day to day cooking that isn't always practical.
Find the recipe here... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/09/yotam-ottolenghi-recipes-cooking-for-crow-christmas-main-course-cod-pork-lamb-pasta-vegetables-salad
I made the dish for 2 as a main so the quantities were slightly less.
Any substitutes?
None - go me!
The actual cooking of the dish
So so so easy!
Once i'm managed to ply the silky, smooth aubergines off my 10 month old who found these four beauties a lot more entertaining than any of the toys i'd laid out for her I popped them in the oven for an hour. Alternatively one could char them over a naked flame.
Scooping out the inners of the aubergines was oddly satisfying , however the marsh greeny, yellow colour of the flesh was very off putting, especially when left over the sink, the watery gloop dripping away whilst some tomatoes were roasting in the oven.
To me it wasn't clear if the dish was to be served hot or cold, I deiced on hot and heated up the lentils, added the aubergine flesh and the just cooked tomatoes and dressing to the pan and combined.
Into a bowl, drizzled with more olive oil, a swirl of yoghurt and a sprinkling of oregano leaves - ta dah!
What I thought
Ottolenghi did it again with flavour, the spicy garlic mixed with the earth oregano leaves - so young and soft not a hint of woodyness and then the creamy yoghurt swirled together to use the satisfying texture of the lentils as a flavour vessel showcasing each ingredient perfectly.
The sweet taste of the tomatoes punctuated the pretty brown colour of dish with vibrant red, offsetting the brilliant white of the yoghurt, reminding me of a cottage garden planing seen at the Chelsea flower show.
As always the lentils needed lots of salt and I hit the sweet or should I say salty spot, just enough to taste it and elevate the tomatoes, aubergine and dressing but not too much that it overpowered it resulting in the downing of 3 pints of ice cold water immediately after finishing- a bit like after a Chinese takeaway.
Difficulty: Easy
Tastiness rating: 9/10
Next time I'd....nothing different. Maybe add mint as another herb as I think it would be summery.
Why this one?
Being on a constant quest to eat more vegetarian meals and increases the pules in our diet this dish immediately jumped out at me. It looked wholesome and good for you but knowing it would pack a flavour punch thanks to Ottolenghi's magic I added it to our meal plan. I was also drawn to this because it was a whole meal, many of the dish's in SIMPLE are fantastic as a mezze but for day to day cooking that isn't always practical.
Find the recipe here... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/09/yotam-ottolenghi-recipes-cooking-for-crow-christmas-main-course-cod-pork-lamb-pasta-vegetables-salad
I made the dish for 2 as a main so the quantities were slightly less.
Any substitutes?
None - go me!
The actual cooking of the dish
So so so easy!
Once i'm managed to ply the silky, smooth aubergines off my 10 month old who found these four beauties a lot more entertaining than any of the toys i'd laid out for her I popped them in the oven for an hour. Alternatively one could char them over a naked flame.
Scooping out the inners of the aubergines was oddly satisfying , however the marsh greeny, yellow colour of the flesh was very off putting, especially when left over the sink, the watery gloop dripping away whilst some tomatoes were roasting in the oven.
To me it wasn't clear if the dish was to be served hot or cold, I deiced on hot and heated up the lentils, added the aubergine flesh and the just cooked tomatoes and dressing to the pan and combined.
Into a bowl, drizzled with more olive oil, a swirl of yoghurt and a sprinkling of oregano leaves - ta dah!
What I thought
Ottolenghi did it again with flavour, the spicy garlic mixed with the earth oregano leaves - so young and soft not a hint of woodyness and then the creamy yoghurt swirled together to use the satisfying texture of the lentils as a flavour vessel showcasing each ingredient perfectly.
The sweet taste of the tomatoes punctuated the pretty brown colour of dish with vibrant red, offsetting the brilliant white of the yoghurt, reminding me of a cottage garden planing seen at the Chelsea flower show.
As always the lentils needed lots of salt and I hit the sweet or should I say salty spot, just enough to taste it and elevate the tomatoes, aubergine and dressing but not too much that it overpowered it resulting in the downing of 3 pints of ice cold water immediately after finishing- a bit like after a Chinese takeaway.
Difficulty: Easy
Tastiness rating: 9/10
Next time I'd....nothing different. Maybe add mint as another herb as I think it would be summery.
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