Candied Carrot and Lentil Bake

Ingredients

• 125g green lentils
• 2 onions, 1 diced and 1 halved
• 1 bay leaf
• A pinch of salt
• 150g thin carrots, trimmed
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little more for greasing
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• salt and pepper, for seasoning
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 100g mixed nuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 15g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method

1. Rinse the lentils well, then tip into a pan with the halved onion and bay leaf. Cover with boiling water, add a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 40-50 minutes until tender.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
3. Cut the carrots into 1.5cm to 2cm rounds and toss with the maple syrup, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika, salt and pepper on a baking tray. Arrange in a single layer and cook for 15-20 minutes until tender and glazed. It is important to use small cut carrots otherwise the base, which will become the top after cooking, will not hold together.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide frying pan and fry the diced onion for 10 minutes until tender. Stir in the tomato purée, 1 tsp smoked paprika, soy sauce, mixed nuts and 50ml water. Cook, stirring everything together for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Drain the cooked lentils and transfer to a bowl removing the halved onion and bay leaf. Mash with a potato masher or fork to break up about half of the lentils then stir in the nut mixture, cornflour, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Grease 4 x 200ml ramekins with a little olive oil. Using a teaspoon, divide the carrots into the bottoms of the ramekins in a single layer where they fit snugly. These will be the tops so try to make them relatively neat. Add the nut and lentil filling, packing it down with the back of a spoon until well compressed and level to the top. Wrap in foil. Keep for 2-3 days chilled, or freeze for up to 3 months.
7. To cook: Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
8. Transfer to a baking tray, and roast the bakes from frozen for 50 minutes to 1 hour or 30-35 minutes from chilled. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Leave to rest for 2 minutes before running a sharp knife around the edge to loosen and invert onto plates.