Middle Eastern Spiced Lentil and Feta Tart

Put a piece of greaseproof paper on a baking tray (if you have some) and lay the sheet of puff pastry flat on the tray. With a sharp knife, cut the pastry sheet into two equal pieces and score a 1cm border around the edges of each piece of pastry, making sure not to cut right through the pastry. Tip: It’s important not to cut through the pastry. By scoring a border in the pastry, the edges will be free to rise while the base will stay flat, weighed down by the lentils when you add them later. Brush the borders with some milk (if you have it) and bake in the oven for 10 mins, until the pastry is starting to puff and colour. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the pastry is baking, heat ½ tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the spices (cumin, cinnamon, chilli flakes and a good grind of black pepper) and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant – about 1 minute. Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook until softened, for about 5 mins. Tip: If the mixture starts to catch, add a splash of water.

Drain and rinse the lentils. When the onion and garlic are soft, add the lentils, half the stock pot and 100ml water, stir to combine and cook for 10 mins (or longer, basically until the liquid evaporates!).

While the lentils are cooking, juice and zest half the lemon. Tip: Make sure to only remove the yellow zest, not the white pith underneath - it’s very bitter! Add this to the lentils, along with ¼ tsp of salt and a good few grinds of black pepper if needed.