Our resolution to eat less meat is hanging in there. Meat free Monday marches on. Today was super cold. I did my volunteering shift at the food bank earlier. At the food bank warehouse you have to go into the walk in fridge to get warmed up. It is cold.

When I am cold and shivery and worn out and good for nothing a good cottage pie soon revives me. This one is proof that comfort food doesn’t need meat.

Mushroom and Lentil Cottage Pie

Large Handful Cooked Green Lentils

8 Chestnut Mushrooms

1 Small Sweet Potato

1 large Carrot

1 Onion

Some Cloves of Garlic (as usual measure with your heart)

About 1/3 bottle Red Wine

300ml Vegetable Stock

1 tsp Tamarind Paste

1 tbsp Tomato Puree

1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

Salt, Pepper and Worcestershire Sauce to taste

Mashed potato to cover in a good thick layer

Finely chop all the vegetables and sweat the onion, sweet potato and carrot in olive oil. Season well and add in the paprika.

Next add in the mushrooms and cook over a fairly high heat.

Add in your garlic and cook out for a few minutes. Keep stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn.

Add in the tamarind and tomato puree. Cook out for a few minutes more. Add the red wine. Reduce by half. Add in the vegetable stock and reduce until you have a thick sauce.

Leave to cool a little and transfer to a pie dish. Top with mashed potato. Either use a spoon or a piping bag. You can crush up some crisps, breadcrumbs or crackers and mix with herbs for a crispy top. ( I love a crispy top!)

Bake in the oven at 180 for around 30 minutes.

Tips

You can easily make this dish vegan by using olive oil mash

If you have a lot of left over gravy from Sunday lunch you can use this instead of making the sauce.

Any leftover Sunday veg can go in the pie too.