Lentil, Bacon, Celeraic & Kale Braise

I have quite a bit of kale growing at the moment, most of it Cavolo Nero (or Tuscan Kale), and I have been looking for good ways of using it.  At the same time I have been making a concerted effort to include more legumes in my diet.  It seemed only natural to combine the two.  I added some celeraic as, although I don’t grow it (yet), it is in season here.  The bacon is to keep my meat loving partner happy.  There is absolutely no reason why you couldn’t cook this dish without any/all of the these three ingredients but I do think they work really well together.

Lentil, Bacon, Celeraic & Kale Braise

  • 2 medium onions – finely diced
  • 1 large carrot – finely diced
  • 200g celeraic – finely diced
  • 2 sticks celery – finely diced
  • 2 rashers middle bacon – chopped into small pieces
  • 1 clove garlic – crushed
  • a large handfull of finely chopped parsley
  • 100g Kale – shredded
  • 1.5 cups puy lentils
  • 2 cups stock (probably more)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tspn red wine vinegar
  • 2 tblspn olive oil
  • extra virgin olive oil to finish
  • salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a large fry pan that you have a lid for.  Add the bacon and fry for a minute or two.  Once it starts releasing its fat then add the onions, celeraic, carrots and celery.  Fry on a low heat until soft.  Add the garlic and continue frying for a couple of minutes until cooked.  Add the lentils, stir to coat with a bit of oil, then add the stock and bay leaf.  If you like your kale well cooked add it now otherwise add it during the lentil cooking process.  Simmer with the lid on until the lentils  are cooked (you may need to add more stock or water if it becomes dry).*    Add the parsley then pour on the vinegar and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (I find it needs a reasonable glug).  Serve with a bit more parsley on top.  I like it both as a main with buttery polenta or as a side dish.

* I think the lentils are best when they retain a bit of bite.  I like the kale added about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

I’m sharing this recipe on The Gardener of Eden’s Thursday Kitchen Cupboard , and Greenish Thumb’s Garden to Table.

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16 Responses to Lentil, Bacon, Celeraic & Kale Braise

  1. Nina says:

    I’m dearth of kale, unfortunately. I started some from seed quite some time back but I don’t know where I went wrong. Those that weren’t eaten by pests are stunted little things that have barely grown at all. Maybe I have a new (useless) variety? Triple dwarf kale?

    Without the bacon, this would be a good receipe to cook for my vegan daughter when she comes home. I’ll file it away for another day. Thanks!

    • Liz says:

      Perfect for a vegan. I like the idea of Triple dwarf Kale – perfect for patios and balconies perhaps? the kale to grow when you only need a teeny tiny bit.

  2. Robin says:

    This sounds wonderful! Lentils and kale…very very nutritious! I bet the bacon really gives it a nice flavor. I’m copying this recipe. It will a nice dish when it cools down a bit!

    • Liz says:

      I really enjoyed it – I’m trying to use a few new ingredients at the moment and having a bit of fun with it.

  3. kitsapFG says:

    Oh boy… I wished I had seen this recipe yesterday as I had some celeriac that I harvested that I was searching for a good way to use it. This sounds delicious and I am going to snag it for later use when the other celeriac plants are ready for harvest.

    • Liz says:

      Glad its useful. I haven’t tried growing celeraic yet – although this probably would have been the year to try it being rather wwet here at the moment.

  4. Michelle says:

    Yum, I will keep this in mind to try soon once I’ve found some celeriac, I’m not sure that I’ve seen it at the farmer’s market lately. I do have loads of kale though! I just made a big frittata this morning with kale, bacon, onions, dried tomatoes and cheese which will be lunch for the next few days.

  5. Mark Willis says:

    Sounds to me like a brilliant combination of flavours. I’ve given up trying to grow Celeriac (for now at least) – too much effort for too little reward.

  6. We’re trying to grow celery and celeriac this year. It needs lots of moisture so should be a good year to grow it – we’ll see

  7. This was so delicious looking I bought lentils while at the store, even though it’s too hot right now to cook them and our celeriac is still a couple of months away!

  8. Andrea says:

    Hi Liz, great combination and another great use for kale, i actually have all of these ingredients in store/fridge/plot at present so its one i can make soon………….
    -5C this morning and a layer of ice over our dam, at 9am when we went for our morning walk it was -2C Brrrrr Have a Great week end !

  9. Liz, what a great meal! I love kale and lentil. Celeriac became ne of my favorite roots (after beets) 🙂

  10. Hammo says:

    Sorry, that I’m commenting on an old post, but I was search for some kale planting tips. I too am in Melbourne, and perhaps should have got my seedlings already growing by now. Any chance you know where to pickup already established kale in Melbourne?

    Or will I still have luck if I grow from seed, even this late?

    • Liz says:

      Sorry for the late response. Yes you could still grow it from seed, the main issue would be protecting it from bugs in Spring/Summer. It may also bolt early but I reckon its worth a go. Most nurserys, Bunnings, places like CEREs etc will have large seedlings of kale at the moment.

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