Bright, warm and satisfying
I found this autumnal dish in Yotam Ottolenghi's SIMPLE, and suggest some typical Mauritian adjustments to the lentils. It's a filling, chic meal - maybe it's the blue cheese that makes me feel bougie. Anyone tried their hand at cashew based vegan "blue cheese"? I used Saint Augur (Ottolenghi opts for Dolcelatte) - comment below if you've any ideas for an alternative!
This is one of my favourite ways to use butternut squash - the other being sweet, vinegary, red chili hasselbacks.
Ingredients
1-2 butternut squashes, cut into half and then 1cm thick wedges
2 red onions, cut into wedges
5ish tbsp olive oil
10g sage leaves
100g dry brown lentils
1 tsp garlic + ginger purée
50g coriander, chopped
3 sprigs of thyme (stalks removed)
2-3 curry leaves
1 small tomato, chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
To garnish (optional) 1 large lemon, 1/4 of it zested, and 2tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp mint leaves, chopped
Blue cheese or alternative
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.
Put the lentils to boil with about 1 and a half cups of water, a tbsp of olive oil, and salt and pepper. This will simmer for 20-30 minutes until cooked.
Meanwhile, mix 2 tbsp olive oil with the sage, season, and mix.
Add the butternut squash and onions to the sage and olive oil, and mix.
Spread on a parchment lined oven tray and roast for about 30 mins, then let cool for 10 mins.
As the squash cooks and lentils bubble away, prepare the rougaille (Mauritian tomato sauce) for your lentils.
Apologies, no photos here - my dad suggested this alteration after. (I should've known anyway - it's sacriligeous to not dress lentille noir with rougaille at home).
Gently heat 1 tbsp olive oil, then add the onions, ginger+garlic purée, and curry leaves.
Once fragrant, pop in the chopped tomatoes and coriander.
The lentils should be half cooked by now, so add in the rougaille (tomato sauce).
Once the lentils with tomato sauce are cooked, set aside. Check the squash.
Transfer the lentils to the baking tray with the squash and onions, then combine.
At this point (just before serving), you could also mix in the lemon juice, zest, and mint leaves. If you're really hungry, some brown rice could go well too.
Rougaille in brown lentils with rice, topped with a fried egg or completely stripped omelet, is a quintessential Mauritian meal. An alternative if you like the sound of it!
Hope you enjoy this recipe... let me know if you try it!
Excerpts from: Ottolenghi, Y. 2018. SIMPLE. Ebury Press, pp.119-120
Yorumlar