I got this cookbook as a Christmas gift last year, thanks T&E! I love it, and use it often. Today I decided to make lentil and squash pasties (except I used sweet potato instead of squash). Yes, Pasties – that’s not a spelling error. I will add the recipe at the end of this post, but this cookbook is worth getting – the measurements work out right – and the timing is accurate too – its literally fool proof, and its over 400 pages of yummy recipes.
Serve with a simple salad, I made an Arabic style salad with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, smashed garlic, salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil. So yummy.
I had to include this last photo of my plate, it was so good I could have licked the plate clean. Shouldn’t every meal end with an empty plate? I didn’t feel guilty either, there were lots of healthy ingredients in this delicious meal!
And here is the recipe for you! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did 
Lentil and Squash Pasties (page 113 from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s “River Cottage Everyday”. Buy it here.
SERVES 4
Pastry
300g flour
Pinch of sea salt
150g chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
To make the pastry, mix the flour with the salt, then add the cubed butter and toss until the pieces are coated with flour. Add just enough iced water (8-10 tbsp) to bring the mixture together into a fairly firm dough.
Shape the dough into a rectangle with your hands and, on a well floured surface, roll it out so you end up with a rectangle about 1 cm thick. Fold into thirds, roll out and do this again (do this a few times). Then wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Filling
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 bay leaf
100g green or brown lentils
300 ml vegetable stock ( I took a shortcut and used Campbell’s vegetable stock)
250g of butternut squash (I used sweet potato)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2tsp hot mustard
to finish:
1 medium egg beaten with 1 tsp milk, for glazing
For the filling:
1. heat the oil, add onion, celery, carrot, garlic and salt + pepper – cook for 10-15 minutes on medium heat, until soft.
2. Add lentils, stock, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the squash or sweet potato and simmer for another 20 minutes or until the squash and lentils are soft. Stir in the vinegar and the mustard, then leave to cool.
4. Roll out the pastry, using a small bowl to cut out four circles, then spoon the mixture on to one half of each circle. Brush the pastry edges with a little water, fold the other half of the pastry over the filling to form a half-moon shape and crimp well to seal.
5. Place the shaped pasties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and brush the tops with the beaten egg. Bake in an oven preheated to 375°F, until the pastry is golden brown.
You might have extra filling left over, and thats ok – you can serve with rice for tomorrow’s lunch!
