Warm French lentil salad a taste of spring
Spring is coming. So instead of a hearty soup or stew, try this warm salad of French lentils with sweet grated carrot and the sunny scent of fresh lemon.
If you don’t know these beautiful speckled blue-and-green lentils, try them out — you won’t be disappointed. They’re high in protein and fibre and are also loaded with nutrients such as iron, folate, phosphorus and potassium.
Many people think they are the most intensely flavoured of all the lentil family. They cook quickly with no need to pre-soak, and they keep their shape beautifully once cooked. So they are the perfect salad ingredient.
This delicious dish is very simple to make. I boiled these lentils until they were tender. (Tip: Don’t add salt to the cooking water; it will make the lentils tough. Instead, salt them after they are cooked.)
To the drained hot lentils I added grated carrot, olive oil and lemon, and salt and pepper.
With a handful of fresh green parsley sprinkled on top, it is a perfect warm salad, suitable for any meal. You can eat it alone or with the addition of some cheese and crackers and perhaps some olives and roasted red peppers from the jar.
For breakfast, try adding a poached egg for a high-protein start to the day.
This dish will also earn you rave reviews at a potluck or buffet dinner.
Warm French Lentil Salad with Lemon and Carrot
250 mL (1 cup) French lentils Boiling water
1 large carrot
30 to 45 mL (two to three tablespoons) olive oil
Juice of half a large lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh green parsley to garnish
Boil about 750 mL (three cups) water in a saucepan and add the lentils. Do not add salt to the water. Simmer on low heat until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.
While the lentils cook, peel and grate the carrot. Chop the parsley, measure the olive oil and juice the half-lemon
When lentils are cooked, drain them (you can use the leftover broth as a soup or stew ingredient) and put in a bowl. Add the grated carrot, lemon and oil and toss.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and more lemon or oil if you wish. Top with the chopped parsley.
Makes 2 servings