Gratin of white cabbage & lentils in a Provençal sauce
By Catherine Lee, 23 July 2012 –
140g brown or green lentils
? white cabbage , about 375 shredded
25g breadcrumbs
25g Parmesan, freshly grated
a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE
1 red onion , chopped
2 garlic cloves , chopped
1 red pepper , seeded and cut into postage stamp-sized squares
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground coriander
2 generous sprigs thyme
2x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp caster sugar
leaves from 1 large sprig basil , roughly torn up
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan 180C. Cook the lentils in boiling unsalted water for about 20- 30 minutes until just tender, then drain. Fry the onion, garlic and red pepper in the olive oil until soft (about 10 minutes). Add the ground coriander and thyme, and stir for 30 seconds or so. Now tip in the tomatoes, tomato purée and sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Leave to simmer to a thick sauce, stirring occasionally, for about 15- 20 minutes. Check seasoning, take out the thyme and stir in the basil. Meanwhile, cook the cabbage in boiling salted water for about 3-4 minutes, until just tender. Drain, and run under the cold tap, then drain thoroughly again. Mix the cabbage and lentils with the tomato sauce, and spoon into a shallow ovenproof gratin dish. Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese, and scatter over the mixture in an even layer. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes until sizzling and patched appetisingly with brown.
Sophie Grigson