NOTE: One of my readers sent this to me a while back but it’s worth a repeat. I have made it often for family, it’s delicious. It is worth noting that the reader was an Australian lady, married to a Greek. She told me that the recipe has been in the family for 40 years.
Ingredients:
short crust pastry, pre-made
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions finely chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
2 celery sticks chopped
400 gram peeled tomatoes crushed
1 cup green or brown lentils
1 cup water
3/4 cup crumbled feta
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 medium sized tomato finely sliced in rings
1 tablespoons sesame seeds
Method:
1. Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface and line a 20 cm flan dish. Prick the base of the pastry and chill for 20 minutes
2. Blind bake for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven on 200 °C
3. Remove beans and bake for further 5 minutes
Meanwhile:
4. Heat oil and sauté onions and garlic till translucent
5. Add celery and sauté a little further
6. Add lentils and crushed tomatoes and water
7. Add pepper and salt (if adding feta it’s wise to omit the salt)
8. Simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally, till lentils are soft and water has been absorbed
9. Add parsley
10. Put mixture into pie shell, sprinkle with feta, garnish with thinly sliced tomato and sprinkle sesame seeds
11. Bake for 15 minutes
NOTE: When I made it I also added a handful of rice halfway though the simmering process as I find that rice helps the setting quicker.