Claire Gets Cooking: Lamb and Lentil Yums

It's a grey, dark and dreich day out there in London.  The skies are dropping a steady plip-plip-plop of rain down onto the roofs of the city, the win is whipping past the window and it's so dark it feels like early evening, not midday!

It's the perfect weather for comfort food.

Spaghetti bolognese.  Mashed potatoes.  Beef stew.

Or my lamb and lentil yumminess.  It's a recipe I adapted from a lovely Nigella effort.  It's very low effort, very high 'yum' factor - perfect stick-to-your-ribs-ness for a winter's day!

Ingredients:

Lamb mince
Red lentils
Onions
Tinned tomatoes
Honey
Tomato puree
Garlic
Olive oil
Sherry (optional)
Sharp cheddar to top (optional)

 Start with a bunch of onions.  Red, yellow - doesn't really matter.  This is one of those recipes you very much throw together!  Chop the onions up into rough, medium/large pieces.

 Heat some olive oil in a large pan.  Add the onions, a little garlic, and a generous slug of honey.

Stir through until the onions become soft and soggy. 

 Start adding your lamb mince.  I like to do this a tablespoonful at a time so the meat cooks through nicely.

Stir through.  Yum.

This mix will seem quite wet - go with it - when you add the lentils you'll be glad of it!
 

Add a generous dash (or two) of sherry.  This, along with the honey, adds a marvellous sweetness to the recipe.

Add your tinned tomatoes...

...and your tomato puree. Stir in.

Add a solid cupful/mugful of lentils.

Stir in and enjoy the lovely aroma.  Put a lid on your pan, turn the heat down, and steadfastly ignore for the next half an hour.  Well, the next quarter of an hour - at that point you may wish to add a little more liquid if the lentils have soaked up much of the sauce.

Et viola, yums!  Grab a bowl, fill with the above, sprinkle with grated sharp cheddar (if like me you're a cheese fan!), and enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe.  Find my other cooking attempts and other foodie posts here, and be sure to check out Emily, Rose and Eileen's blogs if you're a chef - those girls have some major inspiration for you!