Braised Olive and Puy Lentil Pasta

I have my friend Hamish in Sydney to thank for the inspiration behind this seriously bold yet quick pasta salad. Dinner at Hamish’s is never without his warm garlic and rosemary braised olives. This is a take on those but with radicchio and puy lentils thrown in for extra substance.

As the pasta and olives will positively mingle with the lemon, chilli and rosemary in the fridge, this one is great for making extras of, knowing that you’ve got some to enjoy in a lunchbox the next day. Just give it a chance to return to room temperature before tucking in.

Serves 4

Takes 20 minutes

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200 g (7 oz) casarecce pasta

180 g (6 oz) jarred pitted kalamata olives in brine (drained weight)

3 tablespoons olive oil

½–1 teaspoon chilli flakes

¼–½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

2 teaspoons sugar (ideally brown)

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 sprigs rosemary, washed

3 garlic cloves

1 lemon

250 g sachet precooked puy lentils

1 small radicchio (200 g/7 oz)

First, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Carefully add the pasta then boil over a high heat for the time stated on the packet (around 10–12 minutes) until al dente then drain. Reserve a mugful of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse the olives then add to a large frying pan (skillet) along with the oil. Place over a medium heat then add 1/2 teaspoon of chilli, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the sugar, vinegar and rosemary (whole sprigs). Peel and bash the garlic then add to the pan. Using a speed peeler, create thin strips of lemon zest (avoid the bitter white pith) and add to the pan along with the juice of half the lemon. If the olives look to be drying out at any point, splash in some of the pasta cooking water to help them braise.

Stir the cooked pasta into the olives along with the lentils. Remove any tired-looking outer leaves from the radicchio then finely shred and stir through the pasta. Increase the heat to high for 1 minute then remove. Have a little taste to check the seasoning. Depending on how naturally salty your olives are, you may want to add more salt, lemon juice or chilli flakes.

Remove the woody rosemary talks then serve warm or at room temperature.

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This recipe can be found in my 1st cookbook, Salad Feasts.