Lentil and Bacon Hotpot

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Lentil and Bacon Hotpot

Limahl Asmall

27.09.2017

"A bowl of comfort to warm those cooler nights. The original French recipe calls for a slightly different spice mix and a piece of salt-cured pork. Our version is delicious with bacon and can be enriched by adding thyme, bay leaf and black pepper. It’s simple rustic cooking at its finest."

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 mins | Servings: 2 | Difficulty: easy

INGREDIENTS

SWAP SHOP

200g green lentils

200g split peas

4 rashers bacon

2 sausages

2 carrots

2 potatoes

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp mixed herbs

1/2 tsp thyme

1 chicken stock cube

1 beef or veg stock cube

650 ml water

pinch salt and pepper

METHOD

Finely dice ½ an onion and mince 1 clove garlic. Heat the oil in a large pot and fry together for 4 minutes until the onion is translucent.
Cut the carrot into 2 cm pieces and add to the pot along with the green lentils, the other half of the onion and 1 whole garlic clove. Crumble in a stock cube and pour in the water. (At this point, add the bay leaves, herbs and any spices, if using).
Stir well, bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a gentle boil. Check after 30 minutes, locate the whole garlic clove and mash to a paste. Stir the lentils and cook for a further 20-30 minutes until soft.
Roughly chop the bacon into 2-4 cm pieces and fry in a non-stick pan with a dash of oil for 5 minutes until almost crispy.
Once cooked, stir the bacon through the lentils, season with salt and pepper if necessary and serve with crusty bread.

ADDITIONS

2 bay leaves, 1 tsp five spice, 1-2 potatoes

NOTES

Some supermarkets sell cooking bacon which is made from off cuts that aren’t the right shape to be sold separately. It is about half the price of normal bacon and perfect for this recipe. The cuts of bacon are often 3-4 cm thick. If you find a pack like this, you can cook a ¼ of the pack with the lentils instead of adding at the end.