Lentils

My favourite pressure cooker recipe for making a warming, filling, delicious snack perfect for colder months.

Serve with rice - white or various wild rices go really well. A knob of butter on the rice works great too! Simple steamed greens on the side - spring greens or beans, or alternatively some peas - can offer a nice visual and flavourful contrast.

Quick Reference

2:3.5 ratio of lentils:stock

10 mins at pressure, 10 mins release

Ingredients for 6 good portions

  • 2 cups/400g Brown or green lentils
  • 3.5 cups/800ml Stock,
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped (white or red, both are good. Could also add a shallot for variation.)
  • 6 mushrooms, diced
  • 1 Tin of chopped tomatoes
  • butter or olive oil to cook with
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Soy sauce
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Smoked paprika
  • Ground cumin

Method

  1. Set the pressure cooker to ‘sauté’, add the butter or oil, and when it’s up to temperature put in the onion and mushrooms to sauté for a few minutes.

  2. As the onion becomes transparent and begins to brown, add in the garlic, bay leaves, paprika, cumin and toast for a minute to release the flavours.

  3. Add about half a cup of the stock to deglaze the pan and prevent the herbs and spices from burning; scrape the tasty browning bits off the bottom.

  4. Add in everything else bar the tomatoes - carrots, celery, lentils, stock, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar - and mix it together.

  5. Layer the tomatoes on top of the mixture, then seal the cooker up and set it for 10 mins.

  6. 10 mins at pressure then 10 mins slow release should give it plenty of time to cook up for you.

Blurb

Credit where it’s due, this recipe is based on the one here, re-worked here for ease of reference and adjusted for a vegetarian focus

The most important thing is the approximate ratio of lentils to liquid: 2:3.5 for lentils:stock. At 2:4 I found it necessary to simmer for 5-10mins after cooking to reduce the liquid to the consistency I wanted, but much lower and it’d end up too thick.

For a meaty-version, add an inch or so of diced chorizo instead of mushrooms in the initial sauté section to add lovely depth to the flavour.