Saturday, March 24, 2012

Moroccan lentils and sweet-potato shepherd's pie

Found this recipe in Tiffany Hall's Weight-loss warrior book. Its quite different (and more interesting I think) from the traditional Shepherds pie most would be familiar with.

serves 4

1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons harissa (I just added some chili flakes as I didn't have harissa)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
250g (1 cup) French-style green lentils
750ml (3 cups) vegie stock
125ml (1/2 cup) tomato puree (or try a few tablespoons of tomato paste with a bit of water)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves (or try some fresh parsley)
600g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1. Heat oil in medium sized saucepan over a medium-high heat and saute the onion for 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, harissa, coriander and cumin, and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, stirring often.

3. Add the lentils, stock and tomato puree, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are cooked and the sauce is reduced.
Season to taste and stir through the coriander leaves at the end.

4. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

5.To prepare topping, simmer the sweet potatoes in a saucepan of water until tender, for about 10 min. Drain and mash then season with salt and pepper.

6. Pour the lentil mixture into a 2-litre deep baking dish. Cover with the mashed sweet potato and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown on top.