To end the year, a lovely warming easypeasy dish which really needs a special mix of herbs from the Saturday food market in Aix’s Place des Precheurs. This lady’s Italian mix (she makes it herself) is a blend of different herbs and adds such an aromatic lift to pasta sauces. It’s around 3.50€ for 50g and well worth it!
The following recipe is dual-purpose: either for a standalone vegetarian dish or can go with meat.
400g spinach; 300g lentils; 100g feta; 75g breadcrumbs; 60g grated cheese; drizzle of oil.
tomato sauce: 5 tablespoons of oil; 2 chopped onions, 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 200ml wine or stock; 2 tins chopped tomatoes; 1 tablespoon of sugar; …and Aix Italian mix to taste. You can also add Sumac which I have just discovered courtesy of a Lebanese friend.
- Make up the tomato sauce and cook for 1/2 hour until thick. Blitz it.
- Cook and drain spinach
- Cook lentils
- Combine sauce, lentils and spinach and pour into gratin dish
- Press cubes of feta into the surface
- Sprinkle with mixed breadcrumbs and grated cheese (I like Red Leicester when I can lay hands on it. I know it’s a cultural mish-mash but it gives such a lovely colour!) Drizzle on oil.
- At this stage it can stay in the fridge for a day. Cook at 200C for about 25 mins.
Bon Ap’ and a Very Happy New Year to One and All!
Yum, sounds perfect for a cold and frosty day. Shall definitely add this to my winter recipes, thank you!
I like it too as you can make it the day before!
This looks wonderful, but what size tins of chopped tomatoes?
Hello…the 400g size. Hope you enjoy it….
Sumac is great with chicken dishes, a necessary addition to the collection of spices 🙂
Yes. It’s new to me and I’m adding it to everything savoury….