Lentil & Mustard Pottage

1 large leek - halved lengthways and slice across into pieces
1 carrot - peeled & chopped
1 sliced onion
2 teaspoons dry English mustard
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
8oz Green lentils - washed & drained
1.5 pints vegetable stock
1 bay leaf & salt & pepper to taste..

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan, add onion and fry on low heat until soft. Add leek and carrot, cook for further 5minutes until softened, stir in mustards and cook 1 more minute.

Add lentils, stock, bay leaf and pepper to pan and simmer for 45 minutes until lentils are very tender and liquid reduced and thickened. Add salt to taste.

For a change you could try adding some matzo meal dumplings to cook amidst this or any similar pottage. Delicious and very filling. Let me know if you want more info.

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Or for a salad, cut an eggplant into 1 inch chunks and brown it with a little olive oil. Roast/grill/char 1 red and two yellow capsicum peppers until blackened and skin/deseed them, also turning them into 1 inch chunks. (You can do this in an oven - 30 minutes at 400F - but I manage without).

Wash 8oz Green lentils and pt them into a saucepan of of cold water with a halved onion and a bay leaf. Bring to the boil & simmer for 20-30 minutes until soft but not mushy. Strain, rinse with cold water and discard onion and bay leaf.

For the dressing - juice of one lemon whisked with 3.5 fl oz (100ml) of olive oil, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons each of chopped fresh parsley and mint.

Toss together eggplant, peppers, lentils and 4 large chopped fresh tomatoes in bowl with dressing (up to you if you want to skin the tomatoes - I don't always skin the peppers, just grill them in strips as I saute the aubergine/eggplant)

both recipes adapted from Leiths Vegetarian Bible