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Crushed Puy Lentils with Tahini and Eggplant

Joanne Rappos

Olive & Mango

Hamilton, Ontario

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lentils, vegan recipes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup small green Puy lentils (look for the smaller ones, sometimes called French lentils, not the regular ones)

1 medium-sized eggplant 2 tbsp unsalted vegan butter 2 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tsp ground cumin 4 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced (approx. 2 cups) 1 & 2⁄3 cups cilantro leaves 1⁄4 cup tahini paste 2 tbsp lemon juice (I used juice from 1 lemon) Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste 1⁄3 small red onion, sliced very thinly

Garnish

̈Hot smoked paprika, regular paprika or sumac

̈A good drizzle of olive oil

METHOD

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the lentils.

  • Turn down the heat a bit and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are just cooked. Drain the lentils and set aside.

  • While the lentils are cooking, preheat the oven to 450°F.

  • Place eggplant in a roasting pan or sheet pan. Roast the eggplant and turn halfway, until the skin has charred and the interior is very tender when pierced with a knife, approx. 20 minutes. Let cool.

  • Peel and seed the cooled eggplant, scrape the flesh out of the eggplant into a small bowl and set aside.

  • In a large skillet over medium/high heat, melt the vegan butter and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cumin to the pan and stir for about a minute.

  • Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan, along with about 3⁄4 of the cilantro, the eggplant and the lentils. Stir to combine, and let it cook for a minute. Stir in the tahini, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of salt, lots of fresh ground pepper and approx. 5 tbsp water.

  • Lower the heat to medium and cook gently for about 5 minutes.

  • Roughly mash the lentils with a potato masher or wooden spoon (or you can transfer 1⁄3 of the mixture to a food processor and pulse a few times, return to pan and stir though the rest of the lentils) so that you get a thick porridge consistency.

  • Serve the lentils hot, sprinkled with the sliced onion and the rest of the cilantro.

  • Drizzle with olive oil and dust with paprika. Eat with pita bread, crusty bread or seeded crackers.

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