Enjoy these lentils, slowly simmered in a sweet fennel and tomato broth, by themselves with crusty bread or with chunky fish fillets added towards the end of cooking.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 bulbs fennel, trimmed and finely sliced
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 1½ cups tomato juice
• 1½ cups chicken stock
• 500 grams salmon, hapuka, warehou or tuna fillets

Method

1. Heat the oven to 140ºC.
2. Heat the oil over a medium heat in a heatproof casserole. Add the onion, sliced fennel and garlic and cook for 8-10 minutes until tender.
3. Add the lentils, tomato juice and chicken stock and stir well to distribute all the ingredients evenly.
4. Cover and cook for 2 hours. Cut the fish into 3cm chunks and add to the lentils. Cover and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Season and serve. If wishing to add a garnish, scatter over chopped fresh fennel, a few olives and a drizzle of oil. Accompany with fresh bread to mop up the juices.

Cooks Tips

- If using dry chicken stock powder, use only 1 teaspoon powder to each cup of water to avoid the stock being too salty.