• CLARA'S SPICED LENTILS·

According to Clara's recipe this is made with harissa, a North African spice mixture consisting chiefly of chillies. Unlike curry powders and garam masala, it is impractical to make at home because a worthwhile quantity entails de-seeding and pulverising a formidable numberofchillies; also it keeps foronly a few weeks.

You may be able to buy it at a good Italian grocer or delicatessen, but otherwise much the same result is given by adding the equivalent ingredients, as below.

With bought harissa, you could not ask for a simpler recipe, and even without it very little preparation is involved. As it is decidedly hot, however, you need to serve it with something else: when I first had it, at Clara's restaurant, it was accompanied by Stewed Mushrooms (see page 86), which go with it perfectly, but grilled mushrooms or tomatoes are equally suitable. In addition eat it with Rusks (see page 15)' Croutons (see page 87) or hot, crusty bread: For 3-4.

• INGREDIENTS .

8 oz/250 g brown lentils

Salt

1 medium onion

2 large cloves garlic

1/3 inch/8 mm piece cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Pepper

I teaspoon chilli powder and I tablespoon harissa or 113 teaspoon caraway seeds, 3 dried chillies and pinch dried mint

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 bayleaves

Saucepan with a lid

• METHOD .

Rinse and pick over the lentils, put into the saucepan with a lid and add about I pintl600 ml water (but no salt). Bring to the boil, boil fast for 2 minutes, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until just soft, adding a pinch of salt towards the end. Drain over a bowl and reserve the cooking liquor.

2 Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and crush the garlic. Crush the cinnamon and cumin with I teaspoon salt and a generous sprinkling of pepper.

3 If you are not using harissa, crush the caraway; wash and dry the chillies, trim the stalk ends, slit lengthways, discard the seeds and dice as finely as possible. Do not rub your eyes while chopping the chillies and wash your hands directly afterwards (or wear polythene gloves).

4 Fry the onion in the oil over low heat, turning often, for 8-10 minutes or until soft. Without harissa, tum the chillies in the oil and add the mint, garlic and all the otherspices; otherwiseadd the garlic and spices (including the chilli powder) with the harissa. Fry for 1-2 minutes, turning constantly. Add 8 fl ozl 225 rnl of the lentil liquor, the lentils and the bayleaves and simmer for 20 minutes. If there is still much liquid in the pan, tum up the heat to reduce it until there is just enough to act as a sauce.