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Puy lentils with celeriac, hazelnuts and mint

Serves 4

Celeriac is probably my favourite root vegetable and Puy lentils an all time favourite pulse. Celeriac has a delicate, yet very nutty flavour, and has an elegant, almost, creamy smoothness. Like all good vegetables, it is marvellous, simply with a bit of olive oil. This recipe combines the lentils with the celeriac and nuts to create a hearty autumn vegetarian main course. Serve it warm, with a radish, cucumber and dill salad dressed with soured cream and olive oil. Or, allow it to cool down, then take it to work for lunch or on a picnic. It makes a marvelous side-dish with pork or duck.  (See Crispy skin duck breast with Puy lentils and glazed peaches and Marinated pork belly “sous vide”.

¾ cup/180 ml Puy lentils
3 cups/750 ml vegetable stock (or chicken stock if not for vegetarians)
1 tablespoon/15 ml carrot, finely diced
1 tablespoon/15 ml onion, finely diced
4 thyme sprigs
1 cup/250 ml celeriac, cut into 1 cm/¾” blocks
4 tablespoons/60 ml olive oil
3 tablespoons/45 ml hazelnut oil
3 tablespoons/45 ml good-quality red wine vinegar
4 tabelspoons/60 ml chopped mint
60g/2 oz whole hazelnuts, roasted and chopped roughly
salt and black pepper

Combine the lentils, stock, carrot and onion, and thyme in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, then add the celeriac, and cook for another 10 minutes or until the lentils are al dente. Drain in a sieve.

In a large bowl mix the hot lentils (if they have cooled down they won’t soak up all the flavours) with the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the hazelnut oil, the vinegar, some black pepper and plenty of salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
To serve straight away, stir in half the mint and half the hazelnuts. Pile onto a serving dish or in a bowl and drizzle the remaining hazelnut oil on top. Garnish with the rest of the mint and hazelnuts.
To serve cold, wait for the lentils and celeriac to cool down before finally adjusting the seasoning and possibly adding some more vinegar, if you like. Add hazelnut oil, mint and nuts in the same way as when serving hot.

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By STELLA

I have had no formal chef’s training. Classical piano was my parents’ choice, and that took care of the first 20 years of my life. Journalism and radio followed (my own choices, this time), and these opened many doors for me into different countries, people, cultures — and, of course, foods. In a six week series on radio I used it as a platform for my love of food and shared lots of interesting recipes and food news with listeners.
My earliest memories of food come from the family kitchen at home; I can still remember the wonderful smells of the dishes my mother prepared. I became aware of the flavors of her creations at an early age. Some I enjoyed and preferred, while others depressed me with their lack of interesting flavors. My mother was a good cook, but not a gourmet, and sadly this often showed. What I did appreciate was that she always involved me in the preparation, sharing her knowledge of nutrition, flavor, color, and the harmonies of each plate she dished up. She was also a genius with leftovers and quick meals when unexpected guests arrived. This is one of the things that stands out in my mind, and it inspired me to create wonderful dishes from leftover foods myself.

I carried on with the tradition of carefully planning meals to combine nutrition, color and flavor, while at the same time offering variety and elegant presentation. In the process, I developed a passion for seeking out the best available products, adhering to each season’s offerings, and treating it with the respect it deserves, which eventually became part of my daily culinary life and travels. I did these things not because I wanted to become a chef, but to satisfy myself, family and friends with creations of gorgeous food and exciting flavors. All of which, I hope, is reflected in this blog.

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