Ingredients

Serves 4, or 6 as side dish

Prep: 10min Cook: 30min

1 head of garlic, dry outer skin removed and cloves separated but not peeled

1 onion, finely chopped

100g streaky bacon, cut into small pieces

300g Puy lentils

500ml chicken stock

Half a glass of beer

Sea salt and pepper

Method

Over a moderate heat, throw the onion and garlic into a heated pan with a big glug of olive oil. After a few minutes, add the bacon and cook until it begins to colour. Add the lentils and stir through for a few minutes until they are well covered in the oil. Pour in the stock, stir, then add water so that there is twice the level of liquid to lentils in the pan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat so the lentils can simmer until almost all the liquid has been reduced. The dish is done when the lentils are melting into a thick mass but still have a little individual bite - about 30-40min (the packet will say less, but I find them indigestible when they are too al dente). You can drain or add water as necessary throughout the process, within reason.

At the last moment, add a good glug or two of beer (ordinary lager is best) - this is something that can be done to your own taste, but it's important that the beer should add a little bite to the flavours rather than overpowering them. Serve either hot as a side dish (it can replace carbohydrates), as a meal in itself with feta or goats' cheese crumbled on top, as a soup (just add a little extra stock), or allow to cool and throw into any salad.

Times Recommends

• How to season a wok
• Chicago Rib Shack hits back at its critics
• Gordon Ramsay: Indian barbecue