Lentil Spag Bol

Ingredients:

• 1 punnet chestnut mushrooms – duxelle
• 3 Carrots – washed, peeled, brunoised
• 2 celery – washed, peeled , brunoised
• 1 White onion – peeled, brunoised
• 1 Shallot – peeled, brunoised
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• Tomato Passata
• Tomato puree
• Lemon Thyme
• Fresh basil siffonade
• 500 grams of Dried Green lentils – pre soaked and cooked
• ¾ bag of Whole Grain Pasta
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Natural pink sea salt
• 1 cap of red wine vinegar

1. In a heavy based range master pan, add a dash of olive oil once the pan is up to temperature begin to gently cook off the finely diced shallots along with the mixture of brunoised vegetables consisting of finely diced carrot, white onion and celery, cook until a light golden brown.
2. Roughly 15 minutes
3. To deglaze and release all of that beautiful cooked on goodness, add one cap of red wine vinegar and allow both the alcohol and vinegar to cook off.
4. Next add the finely chopped chestnut mushroom along with one teaspoon of tomato puree – ensure that you cook this out or otherwise it will make the whole dish taste bitter. The addition of the chestnut mushroom duxelle is to give the sauce a meaty consistency, but also helps to boost the level of protein and essential vitamins and minerals.
5. Add one tin of chopped tomatoes and one carton of tomato passata, next add your 500 grams of green lentils and allow to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes.
6. While that ticks over, cook the brown whole wheat spaghetti in a pan of boiling salted water for 15 minutes.
7. In which time the pasta will be al dente which means soft to eat, but it should still have a bite to it and a subtle firmness. Drain with tongs and add to the lentil mix ensuring you keep some of that lovely salty starchy water.
8. Toss the lentil and pasta, mix together season generously with cracked black pepper and pink sea salt, loosen with cooking water if required.

Texture Time !!!!!

1. Before serving quickly make a beautiful breadcrumb consisting of fresh lemon thyme, freshly grated vegan hard cheese and cracked black pepper. To make this gently heat a little oil in a medium sauce pan, once the pan is ready gently toast off two handfuls of bread crumbs until they are light and golden while they are still warm, hit them with fresh lemon thyme hints and grated cheese decant into an artisan bowl ready for serving.
2. Portion off into pre-warmed bowls and sprinkle over the beautiful herby, cheesy breadcrumbs offering a different dimension in terms of texture.