About the Recipe
I developed this recipe to cater for the vegan crew members I worked with during my time on yachts. The ingredients and cooking method are almost identical to the recipe you would use to make a the beef version. In fact, if you wanted to reduce your meat intake could use 50% meat and 50% lentils.

Ingredients
1 small onion
2 small carrot
½ stick celery
½ courgette
1 small red pepper
4 mushrooms
1 large or two small garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 small glass of red wine (optional)
250g beluga lentils, rinsed in cold water
600g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 ½ vegetable stock cube
About 800ml water
Red wine vinegar
Honey or sugar to taste
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preparation
Step 1
Chop all of the vegetables into small, equal sized pieces then place in a pan with a good glug of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook gently for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid the vegetables getting stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Step 2
Stir in the garlic and cook out for a minute or so before adding the rosemary and tomato paste, mixing well. Add the red wine and the lentils along with the tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock cubes and water and stir well, bringing the ragu to a boil. Check that there is enough water to cook the lentils as they will absorb liquor as they cook.
Step 3
Lower the heat to a low setting then cover with a lid and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove the lid then check the lentils, making sure they have softened and cooked. At this stage you can increase the heat to reduce the sauce if needs be.
Step 4
Add a dash of red wine vinegar and then about half a teaspoon of sugar. Check the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, sugar or salt if needs be. Serve with pasta, Parmesan and or garlic bread.