Meat mains
Chorizo, fennel & lentils with garlic & herb flatbreads
The mild aniseed flavour of fennel is a perfect companion to pork. The flavour of the bulbs softens and sweetens when cooked so we have added a few seeds to re-emphasis its presence. You can happily omit the seeds if you want to drop the fennel into the background. Likewise you are welcome to hold back on the amount of garlic you use on your tortillas. The heat of the oven mellows things slightly but there is still a nice raw pungency to proceedings.
Cook's notes
Likewise you are welcome to hold back on the amount of garlic you use on your flatbreads (tortillas). The heat of the oven mellows things slightly but there is still a nice raw pungency to proceedings.
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 fennel bulbs
- light olive or sunflower oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 300g chorizo
- 2 tomatoes
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 75ml white wine
- 1 tin dark lentils
- 30g parsley
- 1 pack wholemeal tortillas
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Prepare the onions and fennel. Peel and slice the onion. Trim away the stalk tops from the fennel. Cut the bulbs in half and remove the solid root core with a small v-shaped cut. Slice the bulbs finely, lengthways.
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Step 2
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the saucepan. Cook the fennel and onions with a pinch of salt on a medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Stir them often. They should colour and darken slightly but add a dash of water if they look like they may be starting to burn.
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Step 3
While they cook, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Peel and finely chop or crush 3 garlic cloves. Strip the skin away from the chorizos and break each one into 8-10 pieces.
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Step 4
Roughly chop the tomatoes. Turn up the heat on the fennel and onion. Add the chorizo and fry until everything takes on some colour, 2-3 minutes.
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Step 5
Add the tomatoes, garlic, fennel seeds and bay leaf. Fry for another 2-3 minutes. Tip in the wine, let it bubble and reduce by half. Add 200ml of water and bring to a gentle simmer.
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Step 6
Drain the lentils and add them to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-12 minutes while you prepare your garlic and herb tortilla flatbreads. Preheat your oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.
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Step 7
Wash the parsley, shake it dry, remove the leaves and roughly chop. Mix two thirds of the parsley with the remaining chopped garlic and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, until it forms a pesto-like paste. Lay out the tortillas and evenly spread the garlic and parsley mix across them.
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Step 8
Scatter them with salt and pepper. Roll each one up into a loose cigar shape and wrap them in foil. Pop into the oven for 4 minutes until hot. When the fennel, chorizo and lentils have simmered together and got to know each other, check the seasoning and adjust to suit your taste.
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Step 9
Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve with the hot, unfurled tortillas.