Lentils with Carrots, Dates & Golden Cream

PREP TIME: 20mins

COOKING TIME: 40mins

The essential earthy quality of lentils means they are great paired with robust flavours.

Roasted cumin carrots, sweet dates, fragrant watercress are all embellished in the lovely, slightly curried, cream dressing.

I love the little french Puy lentils, but you can use brown lentils too. The key to great lentils are lots of seasoning and olive oil.

The dressing makes more than you need, which is wonderful because the dressing will be lovely over roasted vegetables or anything grilled.

Vegan: You can use cashew cream & a good vegan yogurt.

Serves 2 generously as a main and 4 as a side.

Serving Suggestion:

Would be lovely as part of a lunch spread with a few more plates of delicious things. It can equally be a great lunch or dinner with a ‘bready’ thing on the side. The filling rolled inside a flatbread with lots of sauce sounds delicious.

Ingredients:

Lentils

  • 100g Puy lentils
  • 1 clove garlic, bashed
  • 1/2 onion, halved
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • pepper
  • zest of 1 lemon

Salad

  • small bunch baby carrots or 4 medium carrots, peeled & halved
  • 1/2 carrot, peeled and grated
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 dates, pitted and diced
  • handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 5 sprigs mint, leaves only, roughly chopped
  • 100g watercress leaves
  • feta to serve (opt)

Golden Cream

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot (or 1/4 onion) very finely diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cimin
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 150ml cream
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 120g Greek-style yogurt
  • salt

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200c, add the halved carrots (not grated) to a small roasting tin, season with salt, pepper, cumin seeds and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes until soft. Keep aside.
  2. Rinse the lentils well, place in a saucepan with the onions, cinnamon, garlic and herbs, cover with plenty of water. Simmer for 15 minutes until tender. Drain and season with the olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Keep aside.
  3. To make the golden cream – heat the oil in a small saucepan and add the shallot and spices. Cook the onions, covered until soft. Add the cream and lemon juice and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and season to taste, set aside.
  4. To assemble, add the roasted carrots and the dates to the lentils, together with two thirds of the golden cream, stir well to combine.
  5. Just before serving, add the parsley and mix well, top with the roasted carrots and shredded carrots. Add the watercress, feta if using, and serve with the golden cream on the side. Enjoy!

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