A hearty, frugal filling for tacos. Delicious, too.
Mechanic
Lightly roasting the nuts before adding them preserves texture inside the filling. Cook lentils to just al dente: they will continue softening in the sauce and mushy lentils lose all structure.
Ingredients
- 200 g green or brown lentils (1 cup)
- 70 g mixed nuts, roughly chopped (½ cup)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 small onion, diced (or 2 shallots)
- 2–4 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 100 g peppers (jalapeño, Anaheim, or bell), finely diced (½ cup)
- 100 ml diced chipotle peppers in adobo (½ tin)
- 1–2 tablespoons dried chili mix (ancho, cayenne, cumin, smoked paprika)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 500 ml vegetable broth or water (2 cups)
- juice of 1 lime
- salt and black pepper
Method
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Spread the nuts on a tray and roast until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
Boil the lentils in salted water until just al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and cook 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and stir until it sticks and darkens.
Deglaze with half the stock. Add the lentils, nuts, dried chili mix, oregano, and chipotle. Add the rest of the stock to get the consistency you want: thicker for tacos, looser for salad.
Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and lime juice.
To serve
In corn or flour tortillas with corn salsa, shredded cabbage, and lime crema. Also works as a grain bowl topping.