Chorizo lentil pilaf

This dish is not only tasty, it’s healthy, cheap AND easy to make.

Lentils are incredibly healthy for you. A quick Google search will bring up many sites that attest to that. Among other things, they help stabilise blood sugar levels and reduce cholesterol.

This dish has oodles of flavour and tastes superb the following day, too. Or you can freeze it for another day. Increase the amount of chilli to suit your own taste.

Serves 4-6.

Note: Lentils often have tiny stones mixed in with them so be sure to scatter them over a plate and sort through them. Then wash the lentils under a cold tap.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
410g (14.4 oz) can of diced tomatoes
200g (7 oz) tomato paste
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup dried lentils
4 parsley stalks (set aside the leaves for garnishing)
1 bay leaf
1-2 chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 cup long grain rice
200g chorizo sausages

To Make:

1. Heat olive oil in a deep frypan (you need one with a lid).

2. Sauté onion, carrots and garlic until they start to soften (approximately 5 minutes).

3. Add the can of tomatoes and tomato paste and mix through.

4. Add chicken stock, lentils, parsley stalks, chillies and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and allow the mixture to simmer for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add rice to the mixture, stir, then cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes, or until both the rice and lentils are cooked. Taste and season if desired.

6. While the rice is cooking, chop the chorizo sausages into bite-size pieces. Heat oil in a small frying pan and cook sausages until brown.

7. Add chorizo to the dish. Remove bay leaf and sprinkle parsley leaves over the top before serving.