Ingredients
Four rashers of bacon (I used bacon bits from the market, hence coming in on budget)
Four cloves of garlic
Two large carrots
One turnip
One onion
The outside leaves of a cabbage
150gms lentils
Splash of olive / cooking oil
Pork stock cube
Teaspoon of smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste)
Fry the onion in the oil. I love olive oil, but I used rapeseed for this and I'd defy anyone to be able to tell - partly because I use very little. Add the garlic and the bacon. Chop the carrots and turnip fairly small and throw those in. You can use pretty well any veg with this recipe - I just happened to have them in the fridge.
Give everything a good stir and add the smoked paprika and the cayenne pepper. Watch the latter as it's hot! Far easier to add more later in the process than have a meal that's too hot for comfort. I just chop the stock cube, throw it in and add hot water to the mix. If you want to make it up in a measuring jug, do feel free. Add a decent amount of water stir vigorously and then add the lentils.
The lentils will absorb the water - add more to keep the sauce from burning and to achieve the finish you're looking for. I wanted to serve this with rice, so I was looking for a sauce the consistency of a nice madras curry.
Immediately add the cabbage. I've said use the outside leaves, which retain a really nice texture and flavour, but you can use any type of green that you have available.
The lentils will take between 20 minutes and half an hour to cook, by which time the sauce will be delicious. As well as the spices, you have the garlic and the cabbage producing a really good flavour. I have put both chorizo and black pudding in versions of this meal. The black pudding can either be cooked separately and added at the end or put in with the bacon, in which case it'll disintegrate and add to the overall deliciousness of the sauce.
In the picture I've served this with Cajun egg fried rice.
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