Lentil Pastelle

Adanna and her mom share an amazing recipe for lentil pastelle. These pastelles are the perfect plant based alternative to add to your line up this holiday season. Adanna Lewis is the owner of Ad-Yana Foods who specialize in vegan and vegetarian food products. They do limited orders of this lentil pastelle for Christmas so get in early to place your order or try the recipe at home! Special thanks to Massy Stores for sponsoring this episode.

Lentil Pastelle

Ingredients

• 400g lentil peas
• 1kg cornmeal
• 500ml vegetable oil
• 1 pk vegetable soup mix
• 150g golden raisins
• 150 black raisins
• 150g pitted olives
• 100g capers
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 head garlic
• 1 large onion
• 1 bundle celery
• 2 bundles chives
• 10 pimentos
• 1 bundle spanish thyme
• 1 bundle fine thyme
• 2 tbsp chili flakes
• 1 tbsp roucou
• 2 bay leaves
• salt to taste

Lentil Mixture

1. Add oil to heated pan.
2. Add aromatics (garlic, geera, Pimento, red pepper flakes/hot pepper, fine thyme, celery stalks). Cook for 1 min.
3. Add tomato paste, roucou and bayleaf. Cook for 3 mins.
4. Add Lentils and water. Add salt to taste. Allow to cook for 15 mins.
5. The chopped golden raisins should be mixed into the cooked peas, then the black raisins.
6. Turn off heat.
7. Capers and chopped olives next, also using some of the brine.
8. Add fresh seasoning and stir.
9. Taste for seasoning.

Cornmeal Mixture

1. Add oil to pot and aromatics. Allow to cook for 5 mins.
2. Add vegetable soup mix and 2 litres of water. Allow to cook until thickened, about 10 – 15 mins.
3. Add oil and roucou. Stir.
4. Add salt.
5. Strain broth.
6. Mix cornmeal into warm broth, slowly to prevent lumps.

Pastelle Assembly

1. Lay a sheet of foil. Place banana leaf on top of foil.
2. Spread a layer of cornmeal onto the banana leaf, into rectangular shape. Cornmeal mix should only be place on the leaf.
3. Add lentil mix. Fold leaf in half and seal the ends using the foil.
4. Pastelles should be steamed for 40 mins.