WINTER VEGETABLE BROTH

I have two goals in the kitchen at the moment. The first is to eat lots of vegetables and the second is to use up the major surplus of lentils and beans that currently exists in my cupboard. I think I had some crazy pre-Brexit panic a few months back and bulk bought way too much dried and tinned goods. Time to save myself some money and raid the larder.

There are lots of things I like about this recipe. It’s inexpensive to make. This broth is filling and satisfying and requires minimum effort to rustle up. In fact, it’s so simple I have the guilts calling this a recipe. There are no major rules with this broth. What you add depends very much on what fresh or frozen vegetables you have to hand.

I’ve been writing vegetarian recipes for about five years at this stage and I vary from the adventurous to the basic. And this recipe is as basic as you get. I’ve had a hard few weeks health wise that’s made cooking difficult. Whatever is going on with any of us, there will always be days when we aren’t sure what to cook or to eat. But if you know you want something homemade, healthy and quick, well this broth pretty much ticks all those boxes.

Keep scrolling for the recipe for this Winter Vegetables Broth.

Winter Vegetable Broth

Serves 4

Ingredients

1.5 litre vegetable stock or bouillon

75g dried puy lentils, rinsed

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 leek, trimmed and finely sliced

125g frozen peas

400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Sea salt and black pepper

Method

Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the lentils, carrot, and leek and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the peas and beans to the broth and return to a simmer for a further 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, ladle into bowls and finish with a drizzle of olive oil or a shaving of hard cheese.