This one is a superbly delicious recipe inspired by the conscientious cook, that I promise will make your lent fabulous. Though I have tagged it as a warm salad it can easily become the main course as the lentils, which are a good plant based protein source, gives the feeling of satiety. The veggies of choice are fennel bulb, broccollini and cherry tomatoes, which are marinated in a sweet spicy harissa inspired paste. I didn’t have a harissa paste ready so I substituted with a sweet pepper paste which was even more delish. Then garnish with some fresh herbs and pomegranate seeds to honour the middleeastern harissa provenance. The sauce was so delicious that my brother finished the whole baking tray by dipping some bread in it. Fennel offers some rich nutritional properties to this dish as it is a good source of vitamin c, calcium and manganese, which support bone health, while its seeds and leaves have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant polyphenols.
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 2 cups of boiled lentils
- 1 fennel bulb, cut in 6 think slices
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- A handful of broccoli or cauliflower florets
- 5 garlic cloves,
- 1 red onion
- A handful of fresh mint and basil
- A handful of pomegranate seeds
- 1 bottle of harissa paste
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Preparation
- Pre heat the oven at 180c
- Boil the lentils for 20 mins, while in parallel cutting the veggies
- Prepare the sauce by blending in a food processor the harissa paste, onion, garlic and olive oil until smooth
- Place in a salad bowl the sliced fennel and mix well with 1/2 the sauce until well covered
- Place the marinated fennel leaves in a lined tray and bake for 15mins
- In the same bowl used to marinate fennel add the rest of the veg (tomatoes and broccoli) with the remaining sauce and mix well.
- Place the rest of the ingredients in the baking tray and bake for another 15-20 mins until they are tender and well cooked.
- Plate the lentils in a big salad bowl. Add the marinated veggies and garnish with the herbs and pomegranate seeds.