A Lentil Haiku (sort of)
Busy. Busy. Busy.
Quick lunch hour
(the market calls)
Scanning dry bins
de Puy French lentils here
$3.09/lb.??? Whoa.
Must. Have. Lentils.
Luscious little babies
Good for salad
Good with salmon
Good with grilled things
Good for you!
A recipe in mind
French Lentil Salad
Happiness.
Resting from last long post
more food soon
(wink!)
French Lentilicious Salad
(can be halved, full recipe will feed 8 as side portions)
For cooking the lentils:
2 cups dried green de Puy French lentils, carefully picked through for stones and rinsed (do not soak)
1/2 onion, peeled
1 whole clove garlic, peeled
1 carrot, washed, trimmed and cut into 3 inch chunks
1 stalk celery, washed, trimmed and cut into 3 inch chunks
4 cups low salt chicken broth, or you can use water
For the salad:
1 large carrot, peeled, trimmed and finely diced
1 cup of finely diced celery, preferably hearts with a few leaves
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
For the dressing:
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 generous teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a deep medium sized saucepan, combine the dry lentils, the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer/low boil and allow the lentils to cook until just tender, about 25 minutes, but test them at 20…you don’t want them mushy. When the lentils are done, drain the liquid, remove the solid onion, garlic, carrot and celery, and place the lentils into a bowl to cool a bit.
While the lentils are cooling, make your dressing. Combine the parsley, thyme, vinegar and dijon in a small bowl with a whisk. Add the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking to emulsify. Season with the salt and pepper.
To the warm lentils, add the diced carrot, celery and red pepper, and stir gently to incorporate. Pour the whisked dressing over the salad, and stir gently to coat. You can serve immediately warm, or allow about 30 minutes for the flavors to develop and serve at room temperature, or serve it chilled. This is wonderful with a bit of grilled salmon served over it. We also enjoy it as a side dish to just about anything grilled, and as part of a veggie meal…you can’t go wrong! Will keep in the fridge for a few days.
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For some strange reason lentils is one of those foods that I always enjoy eating, but never think to make on a regular basis. Bookmark this for next time I remember. š
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You know, Jed, I have been the same way about lentils until just recently. And especially once I found these small de Puy again, I remembered how truly easy they are to cook…so quick compared to other dried legumes and no soaking. You can have them on the table in less than an hour! š
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Awww your haikku is so cute š
And these French lentils look delicious and are so healthy!
Cheers
CCU
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Thank, Uru, you are too kind about my little (not really a) haiku. The lentils are wonderful…I always forget just how much I love them, until the next time I eat them of course! š
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I love du puy lentils. What a fabulous salad and this would have so many great flavours and is just perfect for the wonderful weather you’re having at the moment xx
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I’m so glad you like it, Charlie Louie, thanks! And the salad, which is now chilled, is great for the now not-so-wonderful weather we’re having. It feels beastly hot out right now in the upper nineties, and is moving towards 106 to 107 on Saturday, yikes! And it’s dry as a bone out there. I don’t think I’ll want to turn on my oven all weekend.
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This is certainly Lentilicious Betsy! I’m a fan of lentil salads, and we regularly eat them – I like your dressing, nice and tangy and herby, I’m sure I’d have an extra portion š
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Hi Claire, and thanks for your great comment. I’m also a fan of lentils and especially in salad. You’re right, this one is tangy and fresh tasting…a bit addictive, actually! š I was just thinking of upping the tang by sprinkling a bit of soft chevre on top!
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We are heading into the high 90’s and humid. This lentil salad is very timely and will make the perfect meal (lentil is a protein no need for any other). I would serve it in lettuce wrap and end the meal with a big bowl of chocolate ice cream.
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You’re so right, Norma, and we usually eat this with another veg rather than a meat. I LOVE the idea of rolling this as a lettuce wrap…sounds like lunch tomorrow to me! We’re at 98 right this moment, so that chocolate ice cream is sounding pretty swell, too. š
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What’s not to adore here?! Lentil salad is one of my favorite things to eat. Yours looks so earthy and flavorful. The haiku was so fun and I ADORE your new header. Did you design it yourself?
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It’s one of my fave things to eat, too, Geni, and thank you very much for your compliments…so glad you enjoyed the little haiku. Yes, I do all my own headers, for better or whatever! š I have dreams of far more illustrative headers, but no time so far. Perhaps for the fall edition!
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Hahaha.. I LOVED your haiku.. it was fun and zippy!! I love lentils.. and your title says it all!! Very fun recipe today!!
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Why thank you, Barbara…that’s quite high praise from a true poet such as yourself. It was fun to play with an “almost” haiku, but I had a hard time getting the WP template to allow me to indent what I wanted! I’m glad you like the recipe, too, it’s our new fave salad around here!
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Isn’t their formatting just the worst?! Sometimes it double spaces when I don’t want it to then randomly single spaces.. drives me crazy! Yes.. I love that salad.. ā¤
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I could control the double space/single space issue by holding the shift key, but if I had 3 lines together it would indent all 3 instead of just the one I wanted. Arrrrrgh! Never could figure it out.
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A lentil haiku — now there’s a first! I love your new masthead — now I know why my husband didn’t catch any fish on his trip with the boys….he’s went to the wrong place. (I need to know the name of your lake…he, he) I’m adding this salad to my list to try this summer. I’ve been having fun trying lots of new salads with different grains. This looks simple but flavourful.
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Hi Barb, thanks so much for your compliments on the masthead! I needed a summer setting, though how I wish we had a lake where I could get fresh fish here…this one is in my dreams! It’s getting so hot, we may be eating nothing BUT salads around here…for sure this weekend. I hope you enjoy this one if you try it. And Norma’s idea to wrap it in a lettuce leaf is brilliant!
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What a fun way to begin your post, Betsy!
I really do enjoy lentils but I never seem to remember to buy them. I need to change that. For days hot as today, having a salad as good as this one in the fridge is worth its weight in gold. I know I would have loved it for dinner this evening. Must remember to buy lentils!
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I’m so glad you enjoyed my little creative attempt, John, thank you! I’ve had the lentil dropsy problem, too. I think I was actually looking for beans when I happened upon these de puy lentils at such a good price (for here), and I felt I had to get some but couldn’t remember the last time I’d cooked any. Now I’m hooked! And yes, so hot and will be 107 here tomorrow and we have such bad air, code red smog today and for the next 3 at least. One of the down sides of city life.
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Wonderful – love lentils in any form…hot, cold, sdalad, soup. Gorgeous dressing!
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Me, too, Tanya. And usually when I think of lentils I think of soup, but now that I’m on a salad kick I am truly addicted to them. So good for you, and I can’t wait to try Norma’s idea of a little salad “burrito” made from a lettuce leaf with the lentil salad within. Lunch! š
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Betsy this looks fantastic! My husband and I were just discussing adding more lentils to our dinner menu this summer. I think this will be our first dish! Yummy!
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Thanks so much, Karista and I hope you will try this…let me know if you do. We think it is seriously yum! Great for this hot weather, too.
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Just LOVE the creative use of words, or poem at the top! I’m with Jed, I adore lentils but never think to make them myself. I’ll bookmark for when we return next week from Illinois and Wisconsin visiting friends.
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Hi Eva, thanks for your kind words and I think you’ll love making this salad. It’s really quicker than it looks, and lasts a long time, too. Hope you have a great time with your friends…I know there will be good eats! š
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Tasty haiku and tasty dish!
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Thanks, Yummy, I like that…tasty haiku! š
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Healthy for you and very tasty!
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Indeed on both counts, thanks Karen! š
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they look fantastic!
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Thank you!
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Now if I was clever I would leave you a lovely haiku in reply…sigh. Not feeling so clever tonight.
Love lentils. Always delicious š
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Hi Brydie, wonderful to see you out here again and thanks for your great comment. I happen to know you are quite clever from reading your blog, so no need to haiku in return…but a great idea none the less! š
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Hi Betsy, I used to have a similar thing which I’d buy from a local lunch/sandwich shop near my old office before we moved. I always found it was a beautiful salad… the mustard is just the perfect accompaniment to the lentils and the carrot goes perfectly as well. You’ve gotta be careful with stones though. I almost broke my tooth on one in the salad one day… bad times š¦
By the way – if you want a great idea for a wonderful serving suggestion for this… stick a soft-poached egg on top. When you crack that egg open and start eating the yolk mixed with the lentils you’ll think you died and went to heaven š
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Hi Charles, I love your idea of the soft poached egg…I am sure that is stunningly delicious and I’ll have to give it a try! I’ve learned to be careful about the stones and spread my lentils out on a white paper towel and carefully sort through them for anything suspicious. No one wants a broken tooth and that is surely an easy way to get one. Glad you didn’t end up breaking your tooth! š
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What a great idea for such a yummy salad. I love the crunchy bits with the lentils nice texture contrast. It is way too hot to cook so being able to make this and eat off of it for a couple of days would be grand.
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Thanks, Bam. We’ve been eating off of it for several days…it keeps amazingly well. And you’re so right, I have NO desire to crank up my oven for any reason, though may have to resort to it today whether I want to or not. Stay cool, any way you can. Hopefully this week we’ll see a break in this weather! š
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I love lentils!
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Me, too, I never seem to tire of them…don’t know why I don’t make them more often than I do! So many dishes, so little time, I guess. š
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I still haven’t tried lentils de Puy, Betsy. I don’t care for lentils in general, but I have heard that these are special.
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I think they are special, Sharyn. They do taste different to me than regular lentils and they have a firmer texture. Perhaps you might try them sometime?
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Adore Puy Lentils! And I like the idea o fadding thyme to the salad dressing.
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