There are days when I just don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen. Sometimes because the weather is simply too good to stay in, sometimes because I prefer to spend time with my little boy on my day off… or both. Regardless of the reason, I simply have other things to do than cooking. However at the same time I do not want to compromise on food and still want to have an enjoyable lunch. On those occasions I call for kitchen cheats. I call these recipes cheats because they almost do not need cooking at all and sometimes I use commercially pre prepared spice mixes or other shortcuts. All I want is maximum satisfaction with little effort. This recipe is one of my usual suspect in this category. It is simple, quick, yummy and the whole family like it. As a matter of fact lentils is the very first thing our little Ally eats from his plate when I prepare it for our lunch. Try it and you will be amazed how simple and easy it is and how much flavour it delivers. It is a perfect lunch idea if you want to spend your morning out and about and return home to a cooked lunch.

Serves 2.

Equipment required: slow cooker

Inredients:

• 250g of green lentils
• 500g of mushroom stock made with a stock cube (you can get mushroom stock cubes from a good polish deli)
• Bay leaf
• ½ tsp of smoked paprika
• 100g of chorizo cut into 0.5 cm chunks

Method:

1. Put lentils, smoked paprika and bay leaf into the slow cooker
2. Make stock with the stock cube and pour over the dry ingredients in the slow cooker. Mix well.
3. Cook on low setting for 4 hours until almost all of the liquid is absorbed.
4. Pre heat dry frying pan on a medium heat and put in the chorizo chunks. Fry until the chorizo releases some fat and is lightly crisp on the outside. This should take up to 5 minutes. Take it off the heat.
5. Transfer cooked lentils into serving bowls and top with fried chorizo chunks. Drizzle with cooking juices released from the chorizo. Serve immediately. Alternatively transfer into airtight containers and keep in the fridge for about 24 hours. Re heat in the microwave before serving.

Variation:
Replace chorizo with chunks or grilled chicken breast or sliced cooked frankfurter when serving the dish to little children… Or if you just don’t like chorizo.