Caroline, Chicago, IL
I have made this salad a number of times. The recipe, copied from the Almost Vegetarian cookbook, is safely embedded in a plastic sleeve inside my “do-over” 3-ring recipe binder. But, each time I make it, I ask myself, “Lentils…do I really like you?”
I really WANT to like lentils, which is why I keep making lentil recipes, I am just not sure how much I do. I have a little test for just these cases. It goes something like this…If lentils were as bad for you as custard filled donuts or red velvet cake, would you ever eat them again?
Probably I am just being bratty towards lentils because I am trying to take a little hiatus from baked goods and sweets while I trim off a few unwanted pounds this summer. The poor lentils shouldn’t have to take the heat!
This is a good summer recipe, stays in the refrigerator for days if not a week and has made many a picnic-goer happy. Next time, I think I will try it with red lentils or French lentils which I find more flavorful.
Lentil Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta
2 whole cloves
1 white or yellow onion, peeled and halved
2 cups uncooked lentils, picked over and well rinsed
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
1 large Belgian endive, cored and leaves separated
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon walnut oil
6 large sundried tomatoes (dry packed, minced)
1 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced celery or fennel
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Stick a clove in each half of the onion. Put them in a saucepan with lentils, sliced garlic and bay leaf. Add water to cover by 2 inches.
Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low to let the mixture simmer, covered until tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Check and add water as needed.
When lentils are cooked, take the pan off heat and remove onion, cloves and bay leaf. Transfer lentils to large bowl and let cool. Meanwhile, set out 4 plates and arrange endive leaves in a star pattern.
Whisk togeterh vinegar, oil and stir into lentils. Toss in tomatoes, feta, onion and celery or fennel. Season with pepper. Spoon onto plates in middle of endive.
Comments: I have used olive oil in absense of walnut oil. And, I prefer the fennel to the celery. Finally, as you can see from the photo, I skipped the endive as well.
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June 15th, 2007 at 9:59 am
I like lentils very much, but you are right, it may be that it’s partially because I know they are good for me. Do try them with walnut oil, it really enhances their flavor. I like the idea of fennel, I’ve not tried that before; I’ll put some in the next time I make a lentil salad.
June 18th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Sounds like a good recipe. I don’t use lentils that frequently (in terms of healthy legumes I probably use chickpeas more often). But I do have a really good lentil, carrot and cashew soup recipe that I often return to. I’ll have to post it on my blog.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:17 am
I laughed when I read your entry on lentils. I know precisely what you mean. In fact, I feel a little like that about various pulses and beans - I try terribly hard to like them and almost convince myself that I do. But never quite succeed. I am contantly trying new recipes in order to convince myself.
Maybe I shall give your salad a go and be converted - thanks for the inspiration!
(What a great blog, by the way. Thoroughly enjoyable).
June 28th, 2007 at 7:50 am
[…] Caroline over at Whipped was talking about lentil recipes recently and I promised to post my soup recipe, so here goes: […]
September 25th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
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