Squash And Lentil Surprise

 

It's been 12 months since I sent this slightly unseasonable recipe out to subscribers of my patreon. Now I unleash it the rest of you, in case you get to squash season or discover a huge bag of lentils in your cupboard and wonder what to do with them.

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Squash And Lentil Surprise

Cut up some onions, garlic, carrots, celery, fairly finely and if you’re feeling fancy some fennel root too. Pick out some herbs, I like rosemary and thyme partly because there’s loads in the garden (don’t forget to wash and pick the leaves off, the less stem the better). Heat up a good glug or two of olive oil in a casserole and soften all this stuff for a while.

Now stir in quite a lot of lentils. Your casserole should probably be about half full, not much more than that. Let the lentils sit in everything for a minute or two, then stir in some vegetable stock to cover everything. (I am not too proud to use a stock cube) Let this cook for an hour or so, maybe more depending on what your lentils want. Check occasionally to make sure it hasn’t boiled dry.

Cut the squash into chunks. If you want it to accompany the lentils then big slices are appropriate. If it’s to be stirred in at the last minute, then a couple of centimetre pieces will be all right. Get rid of the seeds; you can peel it if you want, or you might wait until it’s cooked (or not at all if it’s thin). Crush some garlic, more herbs, and maybe a little chilli, then mix with some oil. Rub this oil mix over the squash and roast for about forty minutes in a moderate oven.

It will be no surprise that this is delicious, and also very vegetarian. Breaking that, you might melt some grated cheese on top; still delicious, less vegetarian.