Red Lentil and Apricot Påté

Red Lentil and Apricot Påté

100% that it tastes so much better than it looks!

When I was vegetarian I always used to eat lentil påté, made by cauldron, but recently I’ve not seen it anywhere! So with the knowledge that lentil works will as a pate I have decided to try and make some for myself. I spent a while mumming and ahhhing into my cupboards deciding what ingredients to throw into the mix, and finally decided on a few spices and apricots.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 180 g dried red lentils
• 800ml vegetable stock
• 5 dried apricots
• 2 teaspoons of sunflower spread
• 2 teaspoons of ras-el-hanout
• 1 teaspoon of garma masala
• 1 teaspoon of cumin

Directions:

Brown onions and garlic in oil.

Add in spices.

Add the dried red lentils, along with 800ml of vegetable stock.

Leave to cook, stirring occasionally for 15-20 mins

When the lentils have absorbed the majority of the water, get a sift and squeeze away excess water

Add 2 teaspoon of sunflower spread/ marge

Using a hand processor, blend the mix until it forms a smooth paste

Put mix in greased tin

Cover, and cook for 30-40 mins at 180 degrees.

What I think:

It’s not the most attractive thing I’ve ever concocted in the kitchen, but it is high up there on my list of tasty things. Especially tasty things that I can eat at breakfast! I was hoping the lentils would hold their colour a wee bit more, but that is my only disappointment.  The texture is spot on and it’s easy to spread.