Lentils with cuttlefish pieces
6
servings20
minutes1
hour230
kcal1
hour20
minutesPardina lentils in fish stock with an onion and tomato sofrito and a little silky cod swim bladder. The cuttlefish pieces are sautéed separately with garlic, parsley and vinegar, then folded in at the end. A recipe by Bernie Torras for six starters.
Mantén encendida la pantalla de tu dispositivo mientras cocinas
Ingredients
200 g dried pardina lentils
200 g cleaned white cuttlefish mantle offcuts, without arms or tentacles, net weight
50 g cod swim bladder, already soaked, fully desalted and cleaned
1 l cold fish stock
1 small onion, about 100 g peeled, left whole for flavouring
2 cloves, pushed into the small onion
30 g celery, for flavouring
50 g peeled carrot, in one piece
50 g cleaned leek, in one piece
1 tied bouquet of 1 bay leaf, 2 parsley sprigs and 1 fennel sprig
1 onion for the sofrito, about 150 g peeled, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, about 3 g, chopped and divided into two portions
150 g peeled, deseeded tomato, chopped
40 ml olive oil: 30 ml for the sofrito and 10 ml for the cuttlefish
3 g fresh chopped parsley to finish
10 ml wine vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste
hot water, only if needed to adjust the broth
Method
- Pick over and rinse the lentils. Stud the small onion with the two cloves and clean the celery, carrot and leek. Tie the herb bouquet. Chop the other onion and divide the chopped garlic into two portions. Start with fully desalted cod swim bladder and cleaned white cuttlefish mantle offcuts, without arms or tentacles. Cut the cuttlefish into 1–1.5 cm pieces, about 5 mm thick, and dry thoroughly.
- Put the lentils in a pot with the litre of cold fish stock, clove-studded onion, celery, carrot, leek and herb bouquet. Bring to a boil, then cook at a gentle simmer, partially covered, until tender but intact. Start checking after 30 minutes; about 35–50 minutes is usual, depending on the lentils. Add a little hot water if the liquid level falls too far.
- While the lentils cook, heat 30 ml oil in a casserole. Soften the 150 g chopped onion for about 8–10 minutes. Add half the garlic and cook gently for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato and cook for about 10 minutes more, until reduced and free of raw tomato flavour.
- Blanch the cleaned, desalted cod swim bladder in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain. Cut into small strips and add to the sofrito with a ladle of lentil broth. Cook gently for 5–10 minutes, or as needed for the product, until tender and gelatinous. Taste before adding salt.
- Remove the whole onion with its cloves, celery, carrot, leek and herb bouquet from the lentils. Add the lentils and all their remaining broth to the sofrito casserole. Stir carefully and heat for 2–3 minutes. The mixture should be silky with some broth; add hot water if too thick.
- Heat the remaining 10 ml oil in a wide frying pan. Sauté the thoroughly dried cuttlefish pieces over high heat in a single layer for approximately 3–5 minutes, depending on thickness, turning until opaque and cooked through. Check a piece and remove it when tender; do not keep cooking once done. Lower the heat, add the remaining garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the parsley and 10 ml vinegar and let it bubble briefly to lift the cooking juices.
- Turn off the heat under the lentils and fold in the cuttlefish with all the pan juices. Stir gently, taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately in six small bowls, sharing out the cuttlefish. Avoid keeping them boiling afterwards, which can toughen them.
Notes
- The six servings are retained as starters: 200 g dried lentils, 200 g net cuttlefish and the original list’s 50 g cod swim bladder. This version by Bernie Torras uses offcuts of white cuttlefish mantle, without arms or tentacles.
- Onion and aromatic vegetable weights, 40 ml oil, 10 ml vinegar and 3 g finishing parsley are editorial specifications. The single garlic clove is divided between sofrito and sauté. The flavouring vegetables are removed as directed in the original.
- Estimated time is 20 minutes preparation plus 60 minutes cooking, 80 minutes overall, making the sofrito in parallel. Begin with desalted cod swim bladder and cleaned cuttlefish, defrosted if necessary. Desalting, defrosting and any soaking required by the lentil packet take additional time.
- Cook the lentils separately, gently finish the cod swim bladder in the sofrito and sauté the cuttlefish pieces last. Use small, evenly thick pieces and split thicker ones before cooking. Do not crowd the pan or boil the cuttlefish in the lentils afterwards. Timings are estimates and have not been measured in a cooking trial.
- Estimated nutrition per sixth: USDA lentils and sofrito ingredients, Bofrost plain cuttlefish, Aneto fish stock and Ragnar cod swim bladder as references. All oil and stock are counted. Unmeasured nutrients released by the discarded aromatic vegetables are excluded. Total carbohydrate includes fibre; cooked serving weight has not been measured.
- No sodium or salt figure is published because the cod swim bladder reference does not provide one and desalting changes it. Drinks and other menu dishes are excluded. Allergens: fish, molluscs, celery and possible sulphites in the vinegar; check labels and possible crustacean traces in the stock.
Equipment
- Pot and casserole for lentils and sofrito
- Wide frying pan
- Small saucepan for blanching, sieve and ladle
- Scales, measuring jug, knife and chopping board
- Kitchen string for the herb bouquet
Estimated nutrition per serving
- Calories: 230kcal
- Fat: 7.4g
- Saturated Fat: 1.0g
- Carbohydrates: 25.2g
- Fiber: 4.7g
- Sugar: 2.4g
- Protein: 18.6g
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