Lentil Pie with Puffy Cheese Sauce
This vegetarian pie is inexpensive to make and has heaps of flavour. The puffy cheese sauce is similar to a traditional Greek moussaka.
Julie BiusoChef
- prepare
- cook
- 6-8 servings
- Moderate
Caption:Lentil Pie with Puffy Cheese SaucePhoto credit:Julie Biuso
Canned lentils are a handy stand-by in the pantry. They are cheap enough, but if you cook your own, they’re cheaper still. Look for cherry tomatoes in a thick tomato sauce. I recommend the Italian Mutti brand. Add them at the end so the tomatoes stay intact.
You can substitute other vegetables but watch the overall sweetness – the splash of vinegar in this dish keeps everything balanced and adds a bright note.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp butter (for cheese sauce)
- 4 level Tbsp standard flour (for cheese sauce)
- 400ml milk (for cheese sauce)
- Salt (for cheese sauce)
- Freshly grated nutmeg (for cheese sauce)
- Freshly ground white pepper (for cheese sauce)
- 3/4 cup grated vintage cheddar cheese (for cheese sauce)
- 1 medium (size 6) free-range egg (for cheese sauce)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (for the vegetable base)
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped (for the vegetable base)
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed (for the vegetable base)
- 1 tsp chopped rosemary (for the vegetable base)
- 1/4 tsp fennel seed (for the vegetable base)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin (for the vegetable base)
- 350g (3) carrots, peeled and grated (for the vegetable base)
- 350g (3) zucchini trimmed and grated (for the vegetable base)
- Salt (for the vegetable base)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste (for the vegetable base)
- 1 Tbsp standard flour (for the vegetable base)
- 1 x 400g can lentils, drained (for the vegetable base)
- 1 Tbsp tomato concentrate (for the vegetable base)
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (for the vegetable base)
- 1 x 400g can cherry tomatoes in sauce (for the vegetable base)
Instructions
- 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.
- 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).
- 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).
- 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!
