Braised Leeks, Puy Lentils and Dijon Dressing
This dish turns the humble leek into a thing of beauty, with nothing but a little time and a few basic ingredients. It's paired beautifully with puy lentils, which are full of nutty, earthy flavours and once cooked, absorb dressings like you wouldn't believe. This dish may be vegan, but that's just a happy accident. We urge you to give this one a try.
Method
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
Place a wide-based casserole or sauté pan, with a lid, on a medium heat and add one-third of the olive oil. Once hot add the leeks, cut side down, and fry for 2 minutes each side, until slightly golden. Now add the diced carrot and onion and cook for a further 5-6 minutes with the thyme springs and most of the chopped garlic. Reserve a little less than 1/2 a clove for the dressing (to serve 4).
Step 2
Pour in the hot vegetable stock along with the lentils and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper before then covering with a lid and cooking on a low heat for 30 minutes, turning the leeks halfway way through.
Step 3
To make the dressing, finely chop or grate the remaining garlic and mix together with the dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and remaining olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can do this in small bowl, or a jar with a tight-fitting lid and simply giving the ingredients a good shake.
Step 4
Once the lentils are just about cooked, Increase the heat and cook, with the lid off, until most of the stock has been absorbed - roughly another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and lift out the sprigs of thyme. Pour over the dressing, add the chopped dill and mix well. Allow to cool slightly, before dividing the watercress between the plates and spooning over the lentils and leeks. Finish with a grating of lemon zest (if using) before tucking in.
- Ingredients
- Based on 4 servings
-
3 Leeks, washed and cut into 3cm rounds 3x Sainsbury's Leeks Loose -
1.5 tbsp Dijon Mustard 1x Sainsbury's Dijon Mustard 185g -
800ml Vegetable Stock, 1 cube per 400ml 1x Sainsbury's Stock Cubes, Vegetable 10x10g -
3 Thyme Sprigs 1x Sainsbury's Bunched Thyme 20g -
300g Uncooked Puy Lentils, rinsed 1x Merchant Gourmet Puy Lentils 400g -
6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1x Sainsbury's Olive Oil, Extra Virgin 500ml -
10g Dill, chopped 1x Sainsbury's Bunched Dill 20g -
2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar 1x Sainsbury's Wine Vinegar, Red Wine 500ml -
1 Lemon, zest (optional) 1x Sainsbury's Lemons -
80g Watercress 1x Sainsbury's Watercress 80g -
1 Onion, peeled and finely diced 1x Sainsbury's Onions Loose -
1 Carrot, peeled and finely diced 1x Sainsbury’s Carrots Loose -
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped 1x Sainsbury's Garlic -
Maldon Salt, to taste 1x Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 250g