Lentil Pie with Puffy Cheese Sauce

Serves 6

Lentil Pie with Puffy Cheese Sauce Photo: Julie Biuso

Ingredients

Cheese sauce

• 45g (3 Tbsp) butter
• 4 level Tbsp standard flour
• 400ml milk
• Salt
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground white pepper
• ¾ cup grated vintage cheddar cheese
• 1 medium (size 6) free-range egg

Vegetable base

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 tsp chopped rosemary
• ¼ tsp fennel seed
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 350g (3) carrots, peeled and grated
• 350g (3) zucchini trimmed and grated
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp standard flour
• 1 x 400g can lentils, drained
• 1 Tbsp tomato concentrate
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 x 400g can cherry tomatoes in sauce (Mutti band)

Method

1. For the cheese sauce, gently melt butter in a small saucepan, remove the pan from the heat and stir in flour, then blend in one-third of the milk. Slowly blend in the rest of the milk. Set pan over medium heat and whisk until bubbling. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then remove pan from heat and whisk in ½ a teaspoon of salt, a good grating of nutmeg, white pepper to taste and grated cheddar. Cover sauce with a lid and leave until cool.

2. Put oil in a medium-large frying pan, add onion and cook gently for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add garlic, rosemary, fennel seeds and cumin. Mix in carrot and zucchini and season with 1 teaspoon of salt, or to taste, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir well. Cover with a lid and cook gently for 12-15 minutes, until wilted and nearly tender, stirring two to three times. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).

3. Increase heat and continue cooking, stirring often, until moisture is driven off. Remove the pan from heat and stir in flour, then add the lentils. Mix tomato concentrate and red wine vinegar together and stir in. Taste and adjust seasoning. Finally, stir through the tomatoes. Pile the mixture into an ovenproof dish (24cm diameter x 5cm deep).

4, Beat egg into cheese sauce and spoon over top of vegetables.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Cool the pie for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes:

Make small steam holes in the vegetables to encourage steam to evaporate.

No white pepper? Use black!