After all the sweet shenanigans of my last post, I need something savoury to to bring my tastebuds back into balance (and maybe my waistline too 😉 ).
Although, considering that there are two lemons, a tablespoon of capers and a healthy dose of chopped onion in this earthy salad, you might think I’ve gone too far in the other direction… However, it mellows down a bit after a night in the fridge and the flavours mingle to produce something that’s not quite as mouth-puckeringly tart but still definitely satisfies all my savoury leanings.
Happily, it’s also turned out to be an easy-and-versatile little number – which guarantees both a place in my heart and my regular repetoire. So far we’ve served it warm with baked trout for dinner and I’ve taken the leftovers in to work for lunch as part of a salad, layered up with veggies and some salty feta to top it off. Now that’s savoury and no mistake.
When the weather gets colder (not yet! not yet!) I’m thinking it would go well with roasted veggies, or act nicely as a sharp foil against the creaminess of a cheesy potato bake. In fact, you could dollop it on the side of just about anything you care to think of. Maybe just scoop it out straight of the bowl with a hunk of crusty bread to mop up the dressing…
This recipe is my entry for the June edition of No Croutons Required, hosted by Lisa’s Vegetarian Kitchen. The latest challenge was to produce a soup or salad based on legumes/pulses – always handy to have as part of a healthier lifestyle, so I can’t wait to see what everyone else comes up with 🙂
Lemony lentil salad from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman.
Serves 4
You’ll need:
1 cup lentils, sorted and rinsed (preferably something like Puy or Beluga lentils, ones that will hold their shape well)
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 lemons
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon capers
1/4 cup minced fresh chives, shallot or red onion
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Put the lentils in a medium pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Add the bay leaf and the garlic, and bring to a boil. Cover and lower the heat so that the lentils bubble gently. Cook until just tender but not burst – 20 to 30 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure there is always enough water at the bottom of the pan to keep the lentils from burning.
2. Squeeze the juice from one of the lemons into a large bowl. Peel the other lemon and chop the segments roughly into smaller pieces, taking care to remove the seeds. Add the segments to the bowl along with the olive oil, capers and minced onion. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and stir.
3. Drain whatever water remains from the lentils and stir into the dressing while hot. Let the salad rest, stirring occasionally to distribute the dressing, until it cools down a bit. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve warm or refridgerate for up to several days.
Interesting alternative: Bittman suggests using two tangerines instead of the lemons. Will be trying that version out as soon as the current batch is used up. Which will be very soon at this rate 🙂
14 comments
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June 16, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Deborah
Sounds wonderful Jen. Healthy and refreshing. I have puy lentils in the pantry, I might give this a go. I like the idea of the tangerines too! Nom nom! 🙂
June 16, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Rachel@fairycakeheaven
Heaven, am such a fan of lentils and make a dish with red onions and feta and sausages that I got from Taste Italia last year. Will definitely be trying this!!!
June 16, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Jen
Hey Deb.
Very refreshing, simple and long-lasting. It’s got just about everything I could possibly want from a recipe. It’s a keeper. And tangerines are going on the shopping list…
Hiya Rachel.
That dish sounds good to me! I made something similar without the feta but with some chilli thrown in for a hefty kick. Made a good winter meal and was one of those things that tasted just as good after freezing, so it was double batches every time.
June 17, 2008 at 8:47 pm
lorraine@italianfoodies
Love all the ingredients in this, suprise, suprise:) Must give it a go! Rach you should post that recipe it sounds really good too!
June 17, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Jen
Hey Lor.
Lentils are a big favorite with me too 🙂 Always looking for new ways to get them into dishes.
And oooh yes – Rach, would you do a post request for two hunger bloggers?!
June 17, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Lisa
Thanks for this refreshing entry. I’m liking the idea of serving it with big hunks of feta!
June 18, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Jen
Hiya Lisa.
Oh yes – the feta worked very well. That was lunch for two days running – much better than curly-edged sandwiches from the canteen! I’m looking forward to seeing the round-up next week.
June 20, 2008 at 4:12 pm
amadan
Sounds simply delicious. And love your idea of layering it with vegs. I can picture some in between layers of melanzane e zucchini arrosto from the lovely Italian foodies.
June 21, 2008 at 11:21 am
Jen
Hello and welcome Amadan 🙂
I layered it up with grated carrot, sliced fennel, tomatoes and feta. Crunchy, salty, lemony, fantastic! And yes, Lor’s recipe for melanzane e zucchini would be a perfect match. Mmmmm – much drooling! Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
June 22, 2008 at 8:38 am
Ivy
I saw your recipe from the round up. Sounds delicious.
June 22, 2008 at 7:55 pm
kickpleat
wow, this looks amazing! i love lemons and lentils so it sounds like the perfect summer salad.
June 22, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Jen
Thanks and welcome Ivy 🙂
Ooh – the round-up has been posted? I’m off to check out the rest of the entries. I’m looking for lunch ideas for the rest of the week!
Hey Kickpleat.
Summer salads are where my brain is at the moment. Anything easy, without too many ingredients or fuss – something to take outside and eat in the garden. Although it’s been raining heavily this weekend…
June 27, 2008 at 12:13 pm
conortje
I make something very similar too – I add some crushed walnuts too – very tasty!
June 27, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Jen
Hey Conor.
Walnuts would be lovely with this. I’m planning to make a batch of this for lunch next week (and avoid curly-edged canteen sandwiches – yuk). So I’ll throw in some walnuts too. Cheers for the tip!