Lentil Gravy

Red lentils fall apart into a puree if you cook them long enough, which makes them a very good thickener and a source of body that flour cannot match. The savoury side comes from onions browned properly, tomato puree cooked out and a good slug of tamari. It is substantial enough to make a plate of mash and greens into dinner.

Ingredients

Makes about 700ml, six hearty servings

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 100g (3 1/2oz) red split lentils, rinsed
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 800ml (1 1/2 pints) hot vegetable stock use a gluten free one
• 2 tbsp tamari gluten free soy sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cider vinegar

Kit

• Saucepan
• Stick blender
• Wooden spoon

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion and carrot over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and properly golden and the carrot has softened at the edges.

2. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and stir for 30 seconds, just until you can smell the paprika. Any longer and it will catch and taste bitter.

3. Push everything to one side, add the tomato puree to the bare bit of pan and let it fry for two minutes, stirring it against the hot metal until it darkens to a deep brick red.

4. Tip in the lentils and stir them through the mixture so they toast lightly for a minute. Then pour in the stock, add the bay leaf and bring it up to a simmer.

5. Cook uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the base so nothing sticks. The lentils will lose their shape and the whole thing will thicken noticeably.

6. Take out the bay leaf and blend the gravy smooth with a stick blender. It will be thick, so let it down with hot water or stock until it pours the way you want.

7. Stir in the tamari and the cider vinegar, bring it back to a simmer for two minutes and taste. The vinegar is there to stop it tasting flat, so do not skip it.

Tips worth knowing

• Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear or the gravy comes out with a faintly dusty taste.
• Lentils stick. Use a heavy pan, keep the heat moderate and scrape the base every few minutes.
• This thickens dramatically as it cools, so make it looser than you think you need if you are serving it later.
• Tamari is brewed without wheat, which is what keeps this gravy gluten free. Ordinary soy sauce would not.

Keeping and reheating

Keeps five days in the fridge and freezes for three months. It sets almost solid when cold, so reheat with a good splash of water and whisk it back to life.

Questions people ask