Golden Herby Chickpea Stew with Crispy Shallots

Drain and rinse the lentils. Finely slice two of the shallots. Mince the garlic.

Remove the woody ends from the herbs, then finely chop. Wash the spinach and roughly chop it.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large lidded saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the sliced shallots with a big pinch of salt and cook gently for 15 mins until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then stir through the ground turmeric.

Add the chopped herbs and spinach to the pan, followed by the stock or water, lentils, chickpeas and cannellini beans (with their liquid). Bring everything to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 mins.

Meanwhile, finely slice the remaining two shallots. Add the a generous lug of olive oil to a small saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the shallots and slowly bring up the heat. Cook gently for 15 mins until deeply golden. Transfer the crispy shallots to a plate lined with kitchen paper and remove the pan from the heat.

After a couple of minutes, stir the dried mint into the warm oil and set aside. Once completely cool, mix the crispy shallots back into the minty oil.

Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the chickpeas into bowls, top with a swirl of soured cream and finish with the crispy shallots and mint oil.