Pan-Fried Lentil Caprese

• vegetarian
• gluten-free
• serves 4

2 cups french green lentils, rinsed 8 cups water 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped fine ground sea salt 3 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar 250g fresh mozzarella, halved and sliced into 1cm thick chunks. 250g cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 cup hazelnuts Fresh basil to serve

1. Preheat oven to 180C.  Place hazelnuts in a tray and roast 12-15 minutes, until golden and skins are flaking off.  Roughly chop into large pieces.
2. Meanwhile, place lentils and water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the lentils are tender but still holding their shape well.
3. In a roasting tray, arrange the cherry tomato halves in a single layer then brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake 20-25 minutes until skins begin to peel.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the cooked lentils and spread into a thin layer (if you skillet isn't large enough, you may want to split into two batches for pan-frying).  Fry for 304 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Toss the lentils with 3 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, half of the cherry tomatoes and half of the hazelnuts.  Fold in the chunks of fresh mozzarella and finish with the remaining cherry tomatoes, hazelnuts and basil.
6. Serve with a big slice of toasted, crusty bread.  I used ciabatta.

Recipe and photo by Joe Rich.  Visit his healthy recipe journal at www.edenkitchen.com