Sunchoke, feta and lentils

Sunchoke, feta and lentils
Serves: 4
Course: Side Dish
Cooking Time: 0 hr 40 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 small red onion 
  • 50ml sherry vinegar 
  • 300g sunchokes
  • Pinch of saffron 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 200g Puy lentils, cooked 
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 150g feta cheese 
  • A handful of soft herbs of your choice, mint, dill, basil, parsley.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Slice the onion in thin circles, add the vinegar and set aside for 20 minutes to pickle and soften slightly. Wash the sunchokes super well – they have loads of little nooks and crannies, they might look clean but they are probably not. I peel mine, but you don’t have to. If you do decide to peel, be warned they are the wonkiest vegetable on the planet, it could take a while. As you peel put them in water straight away to which you have added lemon juice or a dash of vinegar, as they will go brown faster than an over-ripe banana. Toss them in saffron and olive oil and roast until soft, about 20 minutes.

In a large bowl or serving platter, mix all the ingredients together, excluding the feta. Once you have seasoned well, crumble the feta on top, scatter with the chopped herbs and serve.

Jess Murphy

Jess Murphy

Jess Murphy, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a Kiwi chef living on the west coast of Ireland