Polenta with lentil, carrot and bay leaf stew

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Polenta (cornmeal)55 g
• Lentils60 g
• Carrots100 g
• Onion40 g
• Celery30 g
• Tomato paste1 tablespoon
• Bay leaves1 g
• Extra virgin olive oil8 g
• Saltto taste
• Black pepperto taste

Contains: celery,

Method

1. Peel and chop the onion, wash and chop the celery; peel the carrots and slice them into rounds about half a centimetre thick; rinse the lentils.
2. In a large pan heat the oil over a medium-low heat and fry the onion and celery for 4 minutes, until soft; add the carrots and stir for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the lentils, the tomato purée, the bay leaf and enough water to cover them well; bring to the boil and simmer for 35 minutes over a low heat, half covered, stirring now and then, until the lentils are tender and the sauce is thick. Salt only towards the end, then remove the bay leaf and season with pepper.
4. Meanwhile bring the water for the polenta (about five times its weight) to the boil in another pan and salt it; pour in the polenta in a thin stream, whisking, and cook for 30 minutes over a low heat, stirring often, until soft and coming away from the sides.
5. Serve the lentil stew over the polenta.