This is a simple stew of tomatoes, spinach, lentils and warming herbs served with rice or a baked potato and accompanied by a minty yoghurt. What’s not to love?

Serves 2

Ingredients: handful of cherry tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 red chilli, 2-3 shallots, small bunch of oregano, large handful of spinach, 5 basil leaves, small baby cucumber.

From the larder: 150g rice or 2 baking potatoes, 100g red lentils, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, ½ cup yoghurt, oil, salt and pepper (optional: grated cheese).

Instructions:

• Start cooking the rice or baking potatoes in preheated oven (180 degrees C). If using potatoes, allow up to an hour for them to bake.
• Place lentils in a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until soft, approx. 10 minutes.
• Chop the shallots, garlic and chilli (use half or a whole chilli if you like it spicy – it also tastes fine without). Sauté on a low heat until translucent and then add the tin of tomatoes.
• Chop the oregano leaves and quarter the tomatoes. Add to the sauté pan, season and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

• When lentils are soft, drain and add to the tomatoes along with 50ml of water and cook for a further 5-10 minutes.
• Grate or finely chop the cucumber and mix with yoghurt in a bowl.
• Chop the spinach and basil leaves and just before serving the lentil stew, stir them in allowing them to wilt.
• Serve the lentil stew with rice or baked potatoes and cucumber yoghurt on the side. Add grated cheese as an optional extra.