Spiced Lentils with Crème Fraîche

Name: Spiced Lentils with Crème Fraîche
Yield: Serves 4 as an accompaniment
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves, left whole; 1 fresh red chilli, diced; 1 tsp each of ground coriander, turmeric and cumin; 1 small knob of fresh root ginger, grated; 1 tsp each of ground coriander, turmeric and cumin; 1 tsp each of ground coriander, turmeric and cumin; 50 g unsalted butter; 100 g crème fraîche or soured cream, to serve; salt and pepper; salt and pepper; 200 g dried Puy or Umbrian lentils; 200 g dried Puy or Umbrian lentils; 1 large chunk of smoked bacon (optional); 1 celery stick, finely diced; ½ white onion, peeled and finely diced; 100 g crème fraîche or soured cream, to serve

Preparation info

Serves
4
as an accompaniment

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Cooks Country

By Matt Tebbutt

Published 2008

About

This is a warming dish to accompany something like a simple roast chicken, but it is just as good eaten on its own from a big bowl with lots of fresh bread.

Ingredients

50 g unsalted butter
1 tsp each of ground coriander, turmeric and cumin

Europe
United Kingdom
Side dish
Main course
January
February
Gluten-free
Winter

Method

Melt the butter in a frying pan and when foaming, fry the ground spices to extract all their flavour. Toss in the ginger, garlic and chilli. Keep an eye on the pan to ensure the spices do not burn. Throw in the onion and celery, sweat down for 5 minutes and add the bacon, if desired. Then add the lentils and dry-fry them in the mix for a few minutes.

Cover with water and simmer for 15–2