Go lentil

Simple Brown or Green Lentil Soup
Serves 4-6

100ml light olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
6 garlic cloves (3 chopped, 3 left whole)
500g lentils
1 or 2 bay leaves
30g dried porcini, soaked in water
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
handful finely chopped parsley

1. Heat the olive oil, add the onion, celery, carrot, and the 3 chopped garlic cloves, and sauté for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the lentils, the 3 whole garlic cloves and the bay leaf or leaves. Toss to coat in the oil and cover amply with water (about 2 litres). Cover the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 45-50 minutes (once again, don’t believe anyone who tells you less).
3. Drain the porcini mushrooms and add them 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, the tamari or soy sauce and the finely chopped parsley. The soup should be like a very sloppy stew.

Harira (Cheat’s Version)
This is the most extraordinary Moroccan chickpea soup. Eat it with fiery Harissa (you can buy this in most good supermarkets). Just before serving, beat an egg with lemon juice and pour it from a height into the soup as you stir, for a traditional finishing touch.

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 stick celery, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
3 x 400g cans chickpeas, liquid included
generous pinch of saffron strands
1 dark vegetable stock cube
400g tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped
half a large bunch of coriander, chopped
dash of Tabasco
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of half a lemon
1 egg, beaten

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until browned. Add the garlic, the celery and the cumin and fry for another minute.
2. Add 1 can of chickpeas and the saffron, crumble in the stock cube and heat until bubbling gently, stirring to dissolve the stock cube – about 5 minutes.
3. Now add the remaining chickpeas with all their liquid, together with an extra 250ml water. Leave on a gentle heat to cook for 15 minutes or so.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and, a minute later, half the coriander, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Stir for a minute and reduce the heat.
5. Mix the lemon juice and beaten egg and pour into the soup from a height in a thin trickle, swirling gently with a fork till the egg is just set. Then remove from heat and serve with extra olive oil swirled in, and the rest of the coriander.

N.B. 325g dried beans, uncooked weight is roughly equivalent to 3 x 400g cans beans, drained.

Next page:
Chickpea Salad
Puy Lentil Salad
Houmous