We Should Cocoa ~ Veggie "Spag Bol"

I think this post would be better titled as "The Art of Close Calls"!  A million apologies for the lack of posting, the lack of visiting and just my general lack of anything recently.  I am still here, possibly on a different planet most of the time, but still here all the same ;0)

Anyhoo, for this month's We Should Cocoa Challenge Choclette attempted to throw us all to the wolves by opting for a veggie savoury dish.  How could she know that veggie dishes are nothing new to me, I used to be a veggie ... some people may well consider me to still be, however, poultry and seafood definitely count as 'meat' in my book!  So for a change I actually knew what I was going to make for this month's dish, I just didn't know how it would turn out.

This Veggie Spag Bol is a sauce I make often, its a quick after work meal, especially when served with pasta, although we general prefer a jacket potato and a few good gratings of Parmesan or mozzarella as you can see.  The original recipe calls for the use of cinnamon which I am not a huge fan of.  It is not uncommon for me to try a different herb or spice or seasoning in the place of cinnamon, in the hope that I will find that one ingredient that will turn the 'nice' into the 'superb'.  And I think we may be pretty close now.  The addition of the chocolate seemed to add a sweet edge but with the bitter savoury-ness that comes from dark chocolate.  A good find I reckon!

Veggie Spag Bol
1 each onion, carrot, stick of celery, red pepper
2 tbsp olive oil (I find this excessive - go with what you need!)
100g red lentils
400g can tomatoes
600ml veg stock (from a cube is fine)
2 tsp dried oregano
Chocolate, I grated a good sized square in, couldn't tell you what it weighs, but the original recipe says to use 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon at this point

Roughly chop, then whiz the veggies in a food processor until finely chopped.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then fry the veggies for about 8 mins until soft.  Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, stock and oregano.  Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover, then simmer for 20 mins.  Add the grated chocolate and seasoning then simmer for a further 5 mins.

That dark patch in the middle is actually the chocolate!

Serve this with pasta or a jacket potato as we do and some grated cheese.

Serves 4
Not 100% sure where the original recipe comes from, possibly a Good Food Vegetarian Christmas magazine or something similar.