The London Marathon is only 12 weeks away and I’m training hard. Up to 13 miles at the weekend now along with dark weeknight runs. Between this, wedding preparations and challenging times at work, life is pretty full on right now. Enjoying it all but it’s keeping me away from the kitchen, especially during the week. Hooray for Sundays! Sundays are for soup making, bread baking and stocking piling the freezer with food for quick weeknight meals. The following lentil bologese/ragu/pasta sauce/whatever you want to call it is one of my current favourites.
Lentil & Chorizo Bolognese
(serves 5-6)
200g chorizo, skinned and chopped into 1cm cubes
A little olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tspn oregano
250g green lentils
1 tin of tomatoes
Chicken or vegetable stock
Parmesan cheese
- Warm a little olive oil in a medium pan. Add the chorizo and fry gently until the paprika-y fat has been release and the sausage is crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon and put aside.
- Fry the onions, carrot and celery in the oil for 5 minutes or until softened slightly. Stir in the garlic and oregano and cook for a minute more.
- Add the chorizo back to the pan along with the lentils, bay leaves and tin of tomatoes. Stir well to combine then add enough stock to just cover the lentils.
- Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Add more stock during the first 30 mins to keep the lentils just covered in liquid. Once the lentils are almost cooked, stop adding stock and let the liquid reduce to a thick sauce.
- Serve tossed with tagliatelle and grated parmesan cheese.
A Wee Bit of Cooking 