- CLARA'S LENTILAND LIME PATE

This is much more pungent and rather dearer to make than Lentil and Lemon Pate (see page 163), chiefly because of the limes - but their flavour, and in particular the aromatic zest, justifies the extra cost. This pate also contains chillies, but does not strike one as hot: they simply add depth to the flavour.

Clara is Clara Tomasi, a top Italian chef who for some years owned a restaurant in London's Soho called Frith's where all the ingredients used were organic and vegetarian cooking a speciality. My first thought when I was asked to write this book was that I simply must include several ofthe dishes I had eaten there: Clara has given me not only this recipe but also one or two others, and has demonstrated her way of making polenta (see page 128).

Her original ingredients for the following included 6 tablespoons of extra virgin (the best) olive oil and Puy lentils: I have economised on the oil and suggest using brown lentils, since the Puy variety, which are small and black and considered very superior, are fairly difficult to buy. Red onions are milder than the usual white ones (see also Greek Salad, page 114).

Half the lentils are mashed to a pate-like consistency and half left whole to match the other ingredients in texture.

Serve the pate with rusks (see page 15 for how to make your own), warm pitta or firm white bread (such as Italian Pugliese). For 4.

• INGREDIENTS .

2 cloves garlic

5 ozl150 g brown lentils

Salt

1 small red onion

4 limes

3 green chillies

About 2 tablespoons olive oil

Pepper

Saucepan with a lid

• METHOD .

I Peel and finely chop the garlic. Pick over and rinse the lentils. Put both into the saucepan with a lid. Add 1 pintl600 ml water (but no salt),' bring to the boil and boil briskly for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Add a little salt and, if the lentils are dry, 3 fl 01175 ml or less boiling water: it is important not to add much because when cooked they should be quite dry. Continue simmering for 5-10 minutes more or until they are tender when prodded with a fork.

2 Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash and dry the limes. Finely grate the zest and add to the onion; squeeze the juice and pour it into a cup. Wash and dry the chillies; cut off the stalk ends, slit in half and discard the seeds and white inner pith. Chop as finely as possible; do not rub your eyes while handling them, and wash your hands immediately afterwards. Add the chopped chillies to the onion and lime zest.

3 Put about half the cooked, dry lentils into a bowl and mash with a fork. When fairly smooth, return them to the rest in the saucepan and heat briefly, stirring continuously (this is because they should be hot when the restofthe ingredients are added). Remove from the heat and stir in the oil, the chilli, onion and lime zest mixture, a generous sprinkling of pepper, just under

1f2 teaspoon salt and most of the lime juice. Mix, then add the rest of the juice gradually: if the lentils were dry, they should absorb all of it, but it is betterto use a little less than makethe pate too liquid. If it still seems dry when all the juice is added, pour in a little more oil. Leave to cool, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

- CHEESE AND CHILLI DIP-

This makes a tasty sandwich filling as well as an excellent dip: eitherway, accompany itwith wholemeal bread and any kind of crisp salad vegetable. When Cheddar cheese is neeeded for flavouring, it really does pay to use a strong, mature type even though it costs a little extra (best of all, but still more expensive, is mature farmhouse-made Cheddar). For 3-4.

- INGREDIENTS -.

6 spring onions

1f2 green chilli

2 oz/50 g Parmesan and

2 oz/50 g Gruyere or

4 oz/125 g strong Cheddar cheese

'14 pintl142 ml sour cream

Paprika Salt

- METHOD -

I Trim and finely chop the onions. Wash and dry the chilli and slit it in half lengthways; wrap the half not needed in foodwrap and store in the refrigerator. Trim the stalk from the half to be used, discard the seeds and white inner pith and chop the flesh as finely as you can. Do not rub your eyes while handling it and wash your hands directly afterwards.

2 Finely grate the cheese or cheeses (it will not mix smoothly with the cream if coarsely grated: for this reason do not use ready-grated Cheddar).

3 Mix the prepared ingredients with the sour cream, a fair pinch of paprika and a little salt; taste and add more seasoning if necessary.