I love the fact that Jones decided to devote a whole book to legumes, and she does it well. Out of the Pod covers the history and botany of pulses, the ‘canned versus dried’ debate and yes, even touches upon the flatulent issue. It has sixty recipes, and over half of those are vegetarian. The rest use small amounts of meat, poultry and fish. I made the Salad of Puy Lentils with Roasted Beetroot, with beetroot and herbs harvested from my garden. Such a simple but filling lunch, it was delicious, with a subtle elegance to it; something about the distinctive flavour of thyme mixing with the earthy tones of lentils and beetroot. It’s the kind of dish I can see myself making if I had friends coming over for lunch. You can throw it together with the minimum of fuss but it’s still a classy dish. I had it plain, but I think if you topped it with some crumbled salty feta or griddled halloumi, it would be amazing. I also made the Lentil Moussaka and again, it was another win. Whether you make a veggie or meaty moussaka, it’s always a dish that takes its time to come together, but is worth the wait. In fact, I think it’s one of those dishes which is better made the day before and then eaten after heating up the next day. This gives the flavours the chance to marinate and the aubergine the time to become velvety, fall-apart-in-your-mouth, soft. Summer 2015 | ukhandmade |
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