Fired-up Cooking

It’s been my habit for many years to cook meat-free meals on Saturday & Sunday evenings. This is a guideline only and we often abandon it in favour of a braai, but back in the day when I was feeding hordes of hungry youngsters on a tight budget, it helped cut costs by having two evenings a week which were meat free.

This does not mean vegetarian, but rather that there would not be a specific meat meal bought for those days, and so I would use up left-overs in the fridge (making things like a Scone Roll), or egg dishes (Omelettes were favourites) and I would sometimes make a bean or lentil dish, though the family were never crazy about them. (I don’t understand not liking legumes – I love them, in all forms, and the tinned beans you get nowadays are wonderful!)

On Sunday evening, I went back to this principle, and made a Lentil and Cheese Tart for supper. It was delicious, even AP and NJ agreed;  of course, we had eaten a heap of left-over braai meat for lunch, so they were open to the idea of a meat-free supper!

Lentil and Cheese Pie

225 gr red lentils

500 mls water

2 onions, finely chopped

Butter, for frying

100 gr mature, sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 egg, lightly beaten

freshly chopped herbs, I used a handful of mixed rosemary, thyme, parsley and oreganum

25 gr breadcrumbs, to sprinkle on top (I didn’t have any, so I used crushed cornflakes)

• Simmer the lentils in the water until they are tender and the liquid has been absorbed
• Melt the butter in a frying pan, fry the onions until transparent
• Add the lentils and remaining ingredients, stir well to combine
• Spoon into a greased pie dish, level the surface
• Bake at 190°C for 30 minutes, or until browned on top
• Serve hot or cold, with a salad

The cheese adds a creaminess to the slightly dry texture of the lentils, and the sharpness of the cheddar goes so well with the herbs. Very tasty and more-ish!

Enjoy!