Lentils

This dish was invented while I was living in London. At the time I had a French flatmate, Fabian. I had never really known anyone French before, and Fabian and I used to cook each other dinners quite a lot, and I was inspired by his... Frenchness, for lack of a better word. Anyway, lentils suddenly came onto my food radar as something kind of glamorous when cooked in a French (or at least what I imagine to be French) style. Its pretty simple, but I really think its one of my favourite things to eat, and has been a staple ever since. It also featured quite heavily while I was going through my anaemic stage, as lentils are kind of a miracle food in terms of iron.

1 cup French (de Puy) lentils

water

1tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced in half moons

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme

¼ cup fresh continental (flat leaf) parsley

1 tbsp butter

extra olive oil, for drizzling

salt and pepper

Put the lentils in a small saucepan, with enough water to cover, and bring to the boil. Simmer until soft, making sure there is enough water and adding more if necessary.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes, making sure the onions are not burning or cooking too quickly. You want them to soften, and get slightly brown but not crispy. Add the garlic, and turn the heat down, and leave for a further 5 minutes. Make sure the garlic doesn't burn.

When the lentils are cooked, drain, if necessary, and stir through the onion and garlic, herbs, butter, extra olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with salad, and green beans or something equally French.

Its really not the most attractive dish in the word, but it is pretty good......