The SOS popped up in my email inbox last Friday afternoon. The Cook and The Chef were back in the kitchen - Maggie Beer and Simon Bryant were cooking for a big glam dinner at the Zoo on Monday night.
Maggie had heard about our lentils and knew that they were as fresh as lentils could be - harvested in the Limestone Coast in January this year. Any chance of getting seven kilos of our new season Nolans Road Matilda green lentils to Adelaide by Monday morning? I delivered them myself and Maggie told me that they were to go with slow-cooked shoulder of lamb with pickled quince and fresh ginger. What is her advice for cooking lentils? “Be patient!” she advised. She brings them to the boil in three times their volume of cold water then continues to cook them at barely a simmer until they are done. For tonight’s dinner, once they are cooked, she will drain them and simply fold through chopped parsley and a generous slurp of good extra virgin olive oil. Oh, and be sure not to salt them until they are cooked, Maggie says. For more Maggie Beer inspiration, go to www.maggiebeer.com.au