Lentil, Mushroom, Walnut & Pomegranate Stew

The inspiration to this (perhaps bizarre-sounding recipe) comes from the Iranian dish Fesenjān – a stew flavoured with ground walnuts & pomegranate molasses. Nutty, sweet & sour, it’s a world away from the traditional idea of British stews that I’m more familiar with, and makes for a great change! You might wonder how you can make a rich & ‘meaty’ stew if you take away all the meat & dairy, but this recipe is filling, earthy & very more-ish indeed. Plus it has the advantage of being a one pot dish!

Serves 2-3

• Onion. 1
• Garlic clove. 1
• Carrot. 1
• Button mushrooms. 100g
• Coconut oil. 1 tbsp
• Ground coriander. 1 tsp
• Dried thyme. 1 tsp
• Sumac. 1 tsp
• Pomegranate molasses. 3 tsp
• Walnuts. 70g
• Puy lentils. 100g
• Vegetable stock. 700ml
• Black pepper
• Almond butter. 2 tsp
• Miso paste. 1 tsp
• Fresh coriander. 2 tsp

Halve, peel & slice the onion, peel & crush the garlic clove, and peel, trim & slice the carrot, then set aside. Heat the coconut oil in a casserole dish over a medium heat, and add the onion, carrot & button mushrooms. Cook with the lid on, stirring regularly for 5-10 mins, until softening. Take off the lid & add the garlic, stir well and cook for 1 min more. Add the herbs & spices, pomegranate molasses, walnuts, lentils and vegetable stock. Stir well, season with black pepper and bring to the boil. When bubbling keenly, reduce the heat down to low and simmer gently, lid ajar, for 40 min.

After the simmering time (or when the lentils are cooked), add the almond butter & miso paste, stirring well to combine everything. Taste and add more pomegranate molasses, pepper & salt if necessary. To serve,  ladle into bowls and sprinkle over a little chopped fresh coriander, and enjoy!

Ted x

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