On Puy lentils

With three winter recipes

Though many of us start the new year with the determination to make up for the excesses of the festive season, it isn’t surprising that halfway through the month of January, the need for comfort food often overrides the best of intentions. After a few grueling weeks of watery soups and skimpy salads (not the solution, in all honesty), the day will inevitably arrive when any short-lived health stint comes to an end with even more extravagance. Instead, my suggestion is to skip the torture and fill your plate with vegetables, whole grains and legumes. And when it comes to the latter, few are as special as lentilles vertes du Puy.

Puy lentils are cultivated in 87 communes in the heart of the Haute-Loire department and have been a part of the regional diet since Roman times. Though tiny in size (they’re only about one-third as big as regular lentils), lentilles du Puy are far superior in taste and texture.

The area’s mineral-rich, volcanic soils not only impart a slightly peppery, earthy flavor to the lentils, but the arid climate with long, hot summers means that they dry naturally and are harvested before reaching full maturity. This results in lentils that are less starchy, cook faster, retain their shape and don’t become mushy, making them ideal for warming casseroles as well as more refined cuisine. In regional restaurants you’ll often find them in dainty verrines crowned with smoked fish, cooked into delicate veloutés or served as an elegant side dish.

Puy lentils are sustainably produced without the use of fertilizers and quite healthy, too. They are rich in B vitamins and trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, which makes them perfect for vegan/vegetarian cooking. I often use them as a meat replacement in shepherd’s pie and pasta sauces or blitz them in the food processor for burgers seasoned with cumin, coriander, spring onions and red chili. One of my favorite ways to prepare them is in a spicy stew with butternut squash and wild spinach. They’re also wonderful in robust winter salads with ingredients like blue cheese, pear and red onions. 

Lentilles vertes du Puy received A.O.C. certification in 1996 (A.O.P. in 2008). There are quite a few varieties on the market that shamelessly flaunt the name ‘Puy’ on the label, but do not be fooled. The real deal is dark green with slate marbling and will have the red and yellow A.O.P. seal of authenticity on the package. Once you try them, you’ll understand exactly why they’re also referred to as the ‘poor man’s caviar!’

Below are three warming and hearty recipes to try this winter.

My mother’s lentil soup
My mother was everything but a fancy cook. In fact, I don’t think she really enjoyed cooking at all, and standing over a hot stove was more of a chore than a pleasure. She did, however, make a few simple dishes that were absolutely delicious. Like the potato salad with chopped egg I always took to school events, her tripe soup (which made the house smell horrible but was loved by all; PS: I talk about it at length in this post), her tuna salad served over hot rice, and her robust lentil soup, a favorite when I became a vegetarian in my teens.
It’s a peculiar thing to attempt to recreate the dishes of our youth because no matter how hard you try, they never end up tasting exactly like we remember. My version of my mother’s lentil soup starts with a fragrant mix of ground spices sautéed in a little olive oil. Unlike my mother’s soup, this one does not have diced potatoes, though I don’t see why you couldn’t add them in if you wish. Instead, I prefer to serve my version topped with a few, garlicky olives and a drizzle of chili or fennel oil.
For a complete meal, serve with fresh baguette and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 tsps whole cumin seeds
2 tsps whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole fennel seeds
Fat pinch of chili flakes
2 tbsps olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
300g Puy lentils, rinsed and checked for stones
1,80L vegetable stock
Fine sea salt & freshly cracked pepper
Succulent green or black olives, parsley and chili or fennel oil, to serve

Instructions:
Grind your seeds and chili in a mortar and pestle.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pan and add the ground spices, stirring for a minute or so until they release their fragrance. Add the onion and gently continue to cook for a approx. 5 minutes.
Stir in the lentils, add the stock, place a lid on the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 35-40 minutes.
Serve with the olives, parsley and chili or fennel oil.

Lentil salad with Pebeyec
In this salad I used Peyebec, an exceptional plant-based cheese by Tyk, a French company that makes the most incredible affinés (the word ‘cheese’ can only be used for the real deal in France). Feel free to replace this with a mild blue such as a gorgonzola dolce.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

300g Puy lentils, rinsed and checked for stones
700ml water
2 bouquet garni
1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt & freshly cracked pepper
½ cucumber, deseeded and diced
8 pink radishes, diced
Chives, finely chopped
Chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 Pebeyec, sliced

Instructions:
Cover the rinsed lentils with the water and add the bouquet garni. Allow them to come to the boil, immediately turn down the heat and cook covered for 30 minutes. Drain if necessary and leave to cool completely. 
In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. 
Stir in the cucumber, radishes, chives, parsley and the cooled lentils. Leave at room temperature for approximately one hour. 
Serve the salad with the affiné (or cheese), a drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of parsley. 
For a more substantial meal, serve with whole-grain bread and (plant-based) butter.

Lentil casserole
During the winter months, hearty casseroles take center stage at my dining table. This recipe has been a staple at our house for years. I used to make it with Merguez or Toulouse sausages, which have now been replaced with plant-based variations. Serve with a fruity Pinot Noir and a roaring fire.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
1 carrot
1 celery rib 
2 tbsps olive oil
325g Puy lentils, rinsed and checked for stones
400ml water
350ml red wine
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
2 bay leaves, dried
Fine sea salt & freshly cracked pepper
4(plant-based) sausages
Chopped flat-leaf parsley

For the vinaigrette:
3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Instructions:
Mince the shallot, garlic, carrot and celery finely in a food processor.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole and add the vegetables. Gently cook for approx. 5 minutes.
Stir in the lentils, add the water, wine and seasonings, but not the salt and pepper.
Allow this to come to the boil, turn down the heat immediately, cover and allow to gently cook for 30 minutes.
Take the lid off the pan, season with salt and pepper, and turn the heat up a little higher. Continue cooking (without the lid this time) while you grill or fry the sausages.
Whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette, pour this over the warm lentils and top with the grilled sausages.
Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve with bread, a salad and wine.