Warm Lentil Salad with Roasted Pumpkin

Briefly sort the lentils, rinse them in a colander, pour into a saucepan, cover with enough cold water, and bring to a boil. If you have 5 extra minutes, drain the boiling water, cover the lentils with new cold water, and bring to a boil once more. Add thyme and simmer gently for 25 minutes.

Peel the pumpkin with a peeler, cut it in half, and use a spoon to remove all the stringy pulp and seeds. Cut the cleaned pumpkin into 4-5 cm long fries with varying degrees of curvature. Mix with two tablespoons of olive oil, a large pinch of salt, spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and place into an oven preheated to 200-220 degrees.

Meanwhile, peel the onion and garlic and finely chop both. Heat a pan with the remaining olive oil and let the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt soften and become translucent. Pour in the tomato puree, two tablespoons of water, and let it simmer gently until the lentils are cooked.