Sumac Roast Tomatoes, Lentils and Dukkah Crusted Eggs

If there ever was a recipe on this blog that exemplifies comfort food then it’s this bowl of Sumac Roast Tomatoes, Lentils and Dukkah Crusted Eggs. A bowl of simple ingredients with splashes of the exotic that envelopes you with the comfort and warmth of what must be the equivalent of a foodie hug.

What made the dish even more special to me on a Saturday afternoon when I was in need of any kind of hug, were the ingredients I used. Sumac, brought back from the Spice Souk in old Dubai by a close friend and Puy lentils that I bought in France while we were there shooting the La Creuzette cookbook in April.

I have been wanting to cook with Sumac for a while now. The Sumac flowers are ground into a reddish-purple powder and the spice is used quite often in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a tart lemony taste.  A flavour I thought could work well with the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes in the dish.

I adapted the recipe from Diana Henry’s “A Change of Appetite” book that celebrates and explores the meaning of eating healthy without starving yourself of food or starving yourself of flavour. I have only recently discover Diana’s work after seeing various interactions with her from some of my favourite foodies on Twitter. I do love the book, filled with a vast array of truly interesting recipes and flavour combinations without trying too hard to be different. A book that is definitely on top of the pile when I need some inspiration.

I stuck to the recipe for the most part but instead of roasting the tomatoes with harissa used the sumac. I used a flavourful vegetable stock to cook the lentils and found the squeeze of lemon as per the recipe at the end really lifted the lentils. I also used a mix of macadamia and pistachio dukkah I had to encrust the eggs. I have a wonderful recipe for Pistachio Dukkah right here on the blog which you could use.

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Sumac Roast Tomatoes, Lentils and Dukkah Crusted Eggs

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Ingredients

  

• Tomatoes and Eggs
• 12 large plum tomatoes halved
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp sumac
• 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
• salt and pepper
• 6 large eggs
• Lentils
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic mashed
• 250 g Puy lentils
• 700 ml vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp dukkah of your choice

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C
• Lay the tomatoes in a single layer in a roasting tin and pour the olive oil over and turn to coat, ending with the cut side up
• Sprinkle the tomatoes with the sumac and sugar and season with salt and pepper
• Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until caramelized in part and slightly shrunken
• While the tomatoes are roasting, cook the lentils
• Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent
• Add the lentils and give a good stir to coat with the oil
• Add the stock and bay leaf, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered until the lentils are just tender
• The will take about 15 - 25 minutes depending on the age of the lentils so keep a close eye as they can become mushy in an instant
• When cooked, all the liquid should be absorbed but if not simply drain off the excess liquid
• Remove the bay leaf and check the seasoning
• Add the lemon juice and olive oil and stir through
• Cook the eggs in boiling water for 6 minutes
• Rince in cold water and quickly peel
• Roll them in the dukkah and set on top of a serving of lentils and tomatoes

Adapted from Diana Henry

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