Recipes

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C / fan 160C / gas 4 and line the base and sides of a 1.5 litre loaf tin with parchment paper.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 15g butter in a large frying pan and cook 1 finely chopped large onion and 2 finely chopped celery sticks for about 5 mins until beginning to soften.
3. Stir in 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and 200g finely chopped chestnut mushrooms and cook for a further 10 mins.
4. Stir in 1 finely diced red pepper and 1 grated carrot and cook for about 3 mins then add 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp smoked paprika and cook for just a minute.
5. Add 100g red lentils and 2 tbsp tomato purée and cook for about 1 min, then add 300ml vegetable stock and simmer over a very gentle heat until all the liquid has been absorbed and the mixture is fairly dry. This should take about 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
6. Finally, stir in 100g fresh breadcrumbs, 100g chopped mixed nuts, 3 lightly beaten large eggs, 80g grated mature cheddar, a handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and a pinch of salt and some ground black pepper.
7. Stir to mix well then spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press down the surface.
8. Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins, then remove the foil and bake for a further 20 mins until firm when pressed gently.