Ingredients
SERVES 6
– 400 g brown lentils
– 125 g walnuts finely chopped
– 2 tbsps. EVO
– 300 g sweet onion finely chopped
– 3 garlic cloves minced
– 1 celery finely chopped
– 2 small carrots finely chopped
– 40 g sweet apple peeled and grated
– 40 g dried cranberries
– 2 tsps. fresh thyme
– 1 tsp. dried oregano
– sea salt to taste
– black pepper to taste freshly ground
– 3 tbsps. flax ground
– 85 g oat flour
– 45 g spelt breadcrumbs
– ¼ tsp. red-hot chilli pepper flakes
– ¼ cup ketchup
– 2 tbsps. unsweetened applesauce
– 2 tbsps. balsamic vinegar
– 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
Directions
Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease a 23 x 13 cm loaf pan, lining it with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the length of the pan. Meanwhile, rinse thoroughly the brown lentils; then drain, fill a pot with abundant salted water and boil the lentils for ab. 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooked, drain, pour 2/3 of the lentils into a very large bowl and mash them with a potato masher until obtaining a paste. Then, spread the walnuts onto the baking sheet, toasting the nuts for ab. 8-12 minutes until they become fragrant and lightly golden. Set aside to cool. Increase the oven to 180°C. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat a little EVO over medium flame and sauté the onion along with garlic and a couple of pinches for ab. 4 to 5 minutes until the onion softens. Then, also stir in celery and carrot and continue cooking for few more minutes. Finally, stir in the apple, dried cranberries, thyme, oregano, ½ teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes more. Then, incorporate the ground flax, walnuts, oat flour and breadcrumbs to the lentil paste, mixing well until combined. At this point, also stir in the vegetable sautéed, sprinkle with some red-hot chilli pepper and mix until well amalgamated. Finally, press all of the lentil loaf mixture into the prepared loaf pan, packing it down as firmly as you can. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, prepare the glaze by whisking the ketchup along with applesauce, vinegar and maple syrup until combined. Then, by using a pastry brush, top the lentil loaf with the glaze. At this point, bake the lentil loaf, uncovered, at 180°C for ab. 50-60 minutes until the edges start to darken and the loaf is semi-firm to the touch. Place the loaf pan directly onto a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then slide a knife around the ends to loosen, carefully lift out the loaf – using the parchment paper as “handles”- and place it directly onto the cooling rack for 30 more minutes. Carefully slice the loaf into slabs and serve immediately. The loaf will continue to firm up as it cools, please note that some crumbling is normal if sliced while warm.
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