1handful chopped fresh herbs a mix of parsley, cilantro, lovage, dill, or other fresh garden herbs, plus extra for finishing
2ozbaconOptional
Extra virgin olive oilas needed for cooking and extra for drizzling
High heat cooking oilas needed for cooking the mushrooms, a tablepoon or two
Fresh lemon wedgesfor serving
Handful of fresh cherry tomatoeshalved
2ozHalf a stalk of celery
2ozshallot or onion
1medium sized clove of garlic
Dash of white wine
4ozfresh mushroomsthickly sliced
Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Finely mince the bacon if using, garlic, celery and shallot or onion, then sweat with the oil for a few minutes.
Add the wine and cook off, then add the lentils and some of their reserved cooking liquid and simmer for a bit until the vegetables are soft. The pan should stay juicy, so add a little extra liquid if you need.
Double check the seasoning and adjust to taste, then toss in a handful of halved cherry tomatoes at the end just to warm them through.
Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a pan and brown the mushrooms well, then season lightly to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, toss the lentils with some of the extra herbs, a good drizzle of oil, and spoon the mushrooms over the top, passing the lemon wedges alongside. You can also serve them from a larger dish family style.
Notes
Substitutions
French lentils are wonderful, but you can also use black beluga lentils or white lentils. In a pinch, regular brown lentils will work. Red or yellow lentils are too soft to use here.