In 1980s Britain, chef Stuart Gillies admits he didn’t understand lentils despite being a professional cook. That changed after tasting carefully braised lentils at a French restaurant, making him a lifelong convert. His favourites include French Puy, Italian Casteluccio and Spanish Pardina for their refined texture and versatility with fish, meat and vegetables.
Gillies offers two recipes: a rich Italian-style braised lentil pasta, which improves when reheated, and a spiced lentil dish paired with cod. The spiced lentils combine Puy lentils with ginger, chilli, cumin and tomato, finished with lime and coriander. The cod is pan-fried with rosemary and butter, topped with garlic-parsley-butter potato crisps.
For the spiced lentils, cook 200g Puy lentils until tender. Sweat shallot, ginger, garlic and chilli in oil, then add cumin, balsamic vinegar, chilli sauce, sweet soy sauce, tomato juice and passata. Fold in lentils, then stir in lime juice and coriander. For the garlic butter, mix grated garlic, softened butter, lemon juice, parsley and salt.
To make potato crisps, slice Maris Piper potatoes thinly, fry at 180C until golden, then toss in melted garlic butter. Season cod fillets, fry skin-side down with rosemary, flip and cook with butter until done. Serve lentils topped with cod and a stack of crisps.
Alternatively, the spiced lentils work without protein, paired with grilled bread and salad. The Italian-style braised lentils serve as a base for other dishes, offering earthy comfort food that is both nutritious and delicious.
