So the other day I bought a huge bag of red lentils and… it turned out that through using small amounts of them in salads I will never be able to finish the bag I needed to find something else that I’d be able to use them for and I did! And now I have a feeling I’ll be buying more of those 1 kilo bags because this pate is just perfect! The texture is really soft, so you can easily spread it on a slice of bread, but it also holds together really nicely and you can eat it alone. I will definitely be experimenting with extra ingredients and spices, but this basic version is delicious as it is (the fact that I ate half of the tin in one day should speak for itself… oops). Also, yet another time curry spices prove to be just the best, for everything! The pate gets its beautiful bright yellow colour and warming taste from the curry, so if you choose to experiment with spices, I’d recommend keeping curry on the list. 🙂

For a small tin (~8x22cm) you’ll need:

• 220g red lentils
• 2.5 cups of water
• 2 carrots
• 1 parsley root
• 1/2 celery root
• 1 onion
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I like to use coconut oil)

Spices:

• curry, ground coriander seeds, salt, pepper, paprika, ground garlic, cumin… or anything else that you like
• I would also suggest chopping a handful of fresh coriander leaves and stirring into the mixture – I didn’t have fresh coriander at hand but I’ll definitely try this next time

Preheat the oven to 190ºC.

Bring the water to boil on a medium heat, add lentils. Cook for about 20 minutes until the lentils are falling apart and the water has nearly completely evaporated. Stir frequently to avoid burning, reduce the heat or add more water if necessary.

Dice the onion. Fry it in oil until golden. Grate the carrots, parsley and celery and add them to the pan. Fry for a few minutes until all vegetables have softened. I recommend using full 2 tablespoons of oil even if you fry on a non-stick pan and could technically skip the oil completely – the vegetables will absorb the oil and have a nicer, softer texture when baked.

Mix the lentils (with the remaining water from cooking), eggs and vegetables, and give them a good stir. Season generously with curry, salt, pepper and other spices of your choice and put in a small tin.

Bake for around an hour, the top should be a little browned. Remove from the oven and let it stand until cool.

Red Lentil Vegetarian Pate

• Servings: 10
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 60 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Rating: ★★★★★
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A healthy, vegetarian spread idea

Credit: https://alphes-corner.com

Ingredients

• 220g red lentils
• 2.5 cups of water
• 2 carrots
• 1 parsley root
• 1/2 celery root
• 1 onion
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I like to use coconut oil)
• curry, ground coriander seeds, paprika, ground garlic, cumin
• salt and pepper
• a handful of fresh coriander leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC.
2. Bring the water to boil on a medium heat, add lentils.
3. Cook for about 20 minutes until the lentils are falling apart and the water has nearly completely evaporated.
4. Stir frequently to avoid burning.
5. Dice the onion. Fry it in oil until golden.
6. Grate the carrots, parsley and celery and add them to the pan.
7. Fry for a few minutes until all vegetables have softened.
8. Mix the lentils (with the remaining water from cooking), eggs and vegetables, stir.
9. Season generously with curry, salt, pepper and other spices of your choice.
10. Put the mixture in a small tin.
11. Bake for around an hour.

• Savoury