Roasted Cod and Puy Lentils…not a hippie in sight

When I was younger, the idea of a family sitting around the table and tucking into a plate of lentils, was probably accompanied by the notion that they strummed a rainbow painted guitar, knitted their own underwear from reeds and practised naked family yoga.   However, things move on, and while I haven’t yet made my own underwear from natural grasses or otherwise, I am partial to a bit of (fully clothed) yoga, and very partial to lentils.  The hippies now are the ones who talk to their vegetables, but in ten years we may all converse with carrots, who knows?

Lentils are my new flexible friends, they go well with a million flavours, can be dressed up for dinner parties or down for cosy comfort food and are easy for my toddler to shovel/spoon in, and chew with the teeth that she has.  Always available in the cupboard, quick to cook, and inexpensive. All of this without any compromise on health; with loads of soluble and insoluble fibre, they are great for tummies and hearts, slow burning complex carbs and iron combine with the fibre for long lasting energy and stable blood sugar levels.  High levels of plant based protein and vitamins/minerals make these are real winner. The lentil base I use I wonderful with chicken, fish and for a treat, sausages.  It’s basic, clean and Mediterranean inspired.  Here I serve it with white fish, we usually eat it with something steamed and green. The black lentils are striking with the white cod, a decorative drizzle of oil and some chopped parsley would elevate this to an elegant dinner party main course.

Monochrome dinner

Ingredients, serves 4

250g dried Puy lentils (the ones I use cook in 25 mins, no soaking needed)

750ml good vegetable stock (low/no salt if serving to children)

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 stick of celery, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Black Pepper

A bay leaf

Tspn thyme leaves, fresh or dried

2 tblspn good oil (avocado is best)

4 pieces of sustainably sourced white fish, about 200g each.

A lemon

Method

Heat your oven to 200 degrees C.  Top the fish with a slice of lemon and a grind of pepper, then wrap the fish in individual parchment or foil parcels.

Rinse the lentils in fresh water, if the pack instructions dictate.

Warm the oil in a large saucepan, and add the vegetables, herbs and good grind of pepper.  Sweat the mixture on a low heat, ensuring not to colour the vegetables, for 10-15 minutes until the onion and garlic smell sweet, rather than raw. Add the lentils to the pan, along with the stock.

Cover the pan and bring to the boil.  Remove the lid and reduce to a gentle simmer.  Keep stirring so they don’t stick, and if you need to add more water do so.  I like lentils soft but not mushy, this takes around 25 minutes.

When the lentils are to your liking, take them off the heat and cover to keep warm.

Pop the fish parcels into the oven to steam in their own lemony juices, for medium thick pieces of cod, of about 200g each, it will likely take 15-18 minutes, but do check each piece before serving as different shapes take different amounts of time.

Tidily heap the lentils onto the plates and carefully slide a piece of fish on top of each.  A cheffy drizzle of oil, and a splash of vibrant green herbs, like parsley or basil, will finish this nicely.

Can be enjoyed with, or without whale music played on a rainbow painted guitar.