100% green lentils from Louis Festa

In this recipe, lentils are prepared in a variety of ways: dried, in a siphon, in risotto, puffed...

This recipe from Louis Festa, chef at Les Singuliers restaurant in Saint-Astier , is taken from the2024 edition ofBook 109: The new blood of French gastronomy. Discover the ingredients and preparation steps to make it a breeze.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 3 h

Ingredients for Louis Festa 's 100% green lentils

300 g green lentils
80 cl liquid cream
1 l chicken stock
100 g Parmesan cheese
100 g butter
10 cl neutral oil
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
1 glass dry white wine

Steps for Louis Festa 's 100% green lentils

Cook the lentils: in a sauté pan, drizzle with oil and sweat the finely chopped shallot with the crushed garlic clove. Add the lentils and sweat over a low heat, deglazing with the glass of wine and adding the stock in batches until the lentils are cooked (they now weigh around 750 g).
Lentils to dry: place 100 g of cooked lentils on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and dry in the oven at 120°C for 2 h.
In a siphon: take 400 g of cooked lentils, place in a saucepan and add the liquid cream, bring to the boil, blend and season. Place in a siphon with 2 gas cartridges and keep warm.
For risotto: use the remaining cooked lentils to make a risotto with butter and Parmesan, then season. If necessary, add a little stock to adjust the consistency.
Puffed lentils: heat neutral oil in a saucepan, then add the oven-dried lentils all at once, strain and set aside once puffed.
To serve: divide the risotto between the plates, top with the lentil siphon and sprinkle with the puffed lentils.

Wine pairing:

This dish pairs perfectly with a light red wine (carbonic maceration type). Cerise Gicquel suggests Roussette de Savoie "Quintessence d'Altesse" from Domaine des Orchis.