This Tomatoes with Lentils and Kale Recipe is a simple vegetarian meal which uses mostly pantry items to create a healthy and filling one-pot dish. Cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli are pan fried with onions and garlic until fragrant. Canned tomatoes and lentils are added with kale, once almost cooked fresh chopped coriander is added. Serve Tomatoes with Lentils and Kale with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of Greek yoghurt.
Tomatoes with Lentils and Kale Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients:
8–10 large stalks kale
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 knob of fresh turmeric, grated, or 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1–2 long red chillies, deseeded and chopped
1 x 400 g can diced tomatoes
2 x 400 g cans lentils, undrained
1/2 cup 125 ml water
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup (small bunch) chopped fresh coriander
Unsweetened Greek (strained plain) yogurt for serving
Lemon juice
Method:
Thoroughly wash the kale. Remove and discard the lower thick part of the stalk. Finely chop the leaves and the more tender upper part of the stalk, set aside.
Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan and sauté the onion until soft and lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary. Return the pan to the heat and cook the spices for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, so that the spices don’t burn.
Add the tomatoes, lentils, water, and season with salt, then bring to the boil. Add the kale, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the coriander and simmer uncovered for another 2–3 minutes, until the kale is fully cooked.
Serve with lemon juice stirred through and a dollop of yoghurt.
Extracted from Cooking With Kale by Rena Patten is published by New Holland Publishers and available in all good bookstores and online.