Cheese and Lentil Loaf

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Puy lentils are tiny dark-green marbled lentils and are considered to be superior in taste and texture to other varieties. Here, a ready-cooked sachet is turned into a pâté-like loaf. It is delicious served warm with a tomato salsa, or cold with pickles and a salad.

Serves 2

A little oil for greasing
4 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped, or 75 g/3 oz frozen sliced carrots
1 celery stick, roughly chopped (optional)
60 ml/4 tbsp vegetable stock
1 egg
250 g/9 oz sachet of cooked Puy lentils
75 g/3 oz/¾ cup grated Cheddar cheese
2.5 ml/½ tsp dried mixed herbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


  1. Put an upturned saucer or metal pastry (paste) cutter in the base of the ceramic cooking pot. Pour in about 5 cm/2 in of hot (not boiling) water, then turn on the slow cooker to Low. Grease a 13-15 cm/5-6 in round fixed-base cake tin or soufflé dish and line the base with greaseproof (waxed) paper or baking parchment.
  2. Put the spring onions, carrot, celery and vegetable stock in a food processor and blend for a few seconds. Add the egg and blend again until the vegetables are finely chopped. Add the lentils, cheese, herbs and salt and pepper and blend again until everything is just mixed together (the mixture should still be a bit chunky, not completely smooth).
  3. Spoon and scrape the mixture into the prepared tin or dish and level the top. Cover with lightly greased foil and place on top of the saucer or pastry cutter in the pot. Pour in enough boiling water to come half-way up the side of the dish or tin.
  4. Cover with the lid and cook for 3 hours or until the loaf is lightly set and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the pot and leave to stand for a few minutes before turning out and slicing. Leave half the slices to cool and serve the other half with tomato sauce or pickles and a salad.


Second serving
Either cover the cooled loaf slices and chill in the fridge for the following day, or wrap in greaseproof (waxed) paper and foil and freeze for up to a month. If frozen, allow to defrost in the fridge overnight. Either serve cold or reheat for 2 minutes in the microwave.


Cook's tip
Make sure that the cheese you use is suitable for vegetarians.