Good morning world and thanks for tuning in.

I am glad to finally be able to bring you this weeks recipe even if it is two days late and should now be called Tasty Thursday if I were a pedant, but I am not so it is still Tasty Tuesday, just a couple of days late 😉

So was it worth the wait?

Well after finally making this last night I have to admit that it was so scrummy, I could have eaten it again (Bariatric tummy not withstanding 🙂 )

Well come on then, what is it….?!!

Well today I am pleased to offer you the simple delights of Shredded Ham Hock and Lentils.

It is MEGA! Healthy, low in fat, wholesome, filling and above all tasty.

So how do we make it…

Ingredients:

1. 2 Medium Size Hams for boiling (to feed 6)
2. 3 Carrots Large
3. 3 Celery Large
4. 2 Large Onions (Red or White)
5. 250gms Lentils (to feed 6)
6. Parsley
7. Bayleaf
8. Thyme
9. 1 Large knob of slightly salted Butter
10. Salt and Pepper to season

First stage is the Hams so to begin with we take the large pan and fill with water, bring to the boil and then add the two hams.

Whilst the Hams start to boil we prepare the veggies that will go in for the making of the stock. Simply quarter the Celery, quarter then halve the Carrot and the Onion.

Once the Hams have cooked for ten minutes or so we remove them from the water so as we can change it for fresh. This makes sure any of the scum residue is removed and the stock is premium quality. Bring this fresh water to the boil before adding the veggies and the herbs required for the stock.

Add the Bay Leaf and a couple of sprigs of the Thyme.

And now simmer for approximately three hours, keeping an eye on the water levels as these juices make the stock we need for the rest of the dish. I made mine in a pressure cooker which kind of takes away all of the drama!

Once the hams are done, remove from the pan and place to once side to rest, during which time you drain then strain the stock into a container and keep to one side along with the Hams.

The next stage is the Lentils. Firstly, we weigh out the amount of Lentils we will need relevant to the amount of people we need to feed! In my case there was just the two of us so it was 100gms.

Then take a pan of water and bring it to the boil. Once bubbling pour the Lentils in but keep the water plain as this is only used to remove the starch and blanch the Lentils.

After about 10 minutes blanching, pour into a sieve and run under a cold tap to completely remove any starch residue.

Put the Lentils to one side and then place a large knob of butter into a frying pan.

Gently melt this and as it does so, please take the Onion, Celery and Carrot and chop finely until only small pieces remain.

Once the butter has melted, add the above mix to the pan, spread evenly in the pan and coat with the butter. Be sure to put the lid on so the veggies do not brown whilst you do the initial 5 minute cook.

Next add the blanched Lentils to the mixture, then take your strained stock and add that in alongside. For 250gms of Lentils you will need about 900mls of stock. I used about 375mls as I was only cooking 100gms.

Once the stock has been added, stir well and season with cracked black pepper and salt. Cover with a lid and cook for about 30m minutes more taking time to stir regularly.

Whilst this cooks, spend some time shredding some of the Ham you cooked earlier. I used about a bowlful and found that to be plenty for two, you might want to use much more but being Bariatric, a bowlful was more than enough in this house!

Finally, once the lentils are soft, the stock now all soaked up with the mixture flowing freely and water free around the pan, it is time to add the Ham and stir it in to the rest of the dish. Once added, allow the heat to run through it and bring it up to the temperature of the rest of the ingredients.

Then serve in a pre-heated bowl adding a few sprigs of chopped parsley to garnish.

Eh, Voila!

This really is a simple dish to make and with a little planning (don’t forget the Hams and the stock take about 3 hours…) can be made relatively quickly indeed. It is as I have already said, super tasty, very healthy and so very easy to make that there is NO excuse for not getting on the healthy food express train and starting to make a difference to your lifestyle, energy levels, mental health and waistline…!

Once again, sorry for the delay in the post and I promise to be a trifle more  efficient in future making sure I have the ingredients and read how to prep everything prior to starting!!

‘Till tomorrow,

Stay out of the fridge.