Lentil Salads: with carrots and cilantro (l) and with olives, feta and mint (r).
Both these lentil salad recipes come from Cook’s Illustrated though we’ve made some changes. Because they have the same base preparation, it’s a good idea to make them at the same time though you wouldn’t necessarily serve them together. Each recipe will serve 4-6 as a component of a salad service with multiple choices.
Ingredients:
1 c dried green or black lentils (don’t use orange or yellow lentils which turn into mush when cooked)
1 t Kosher salt
4 c hot water (hotter than body temperature), for soaking
Chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
5 T olive oil
½ t Kosher alt
For recipe 1:
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch matchsticks
½ t ground cumin
¼ t ground cinnamon
Generous pinch cayenne
2 T lemon juice
2 T finely chopped cilantro leaves (some stem okay), plus more for garnish
For recipe 2:
¼ c finely chopped mint leaves, plus more for garnish
¼ c coarsely chopped kalamata olives, pitted
2 T white wine vinegar
2 T finely chopped shallot or red onion
2 T feta cheese, crumbled, plus more for garnish
Lentil Salad 1
Method: dissolve 1 t Kosher salt in 4 t hot water. Add lentils and soak for at least an hour. Drain and rinse. (According to Cook’s Illustrated, this step helps the lentils retain their shape when cooked.) Transfer the lentils to a saucepan; add bay leaf, garlic and an equal mix of stock and water to cover the lentils with an extra inch of liquid on top. Simmer until just tender, possibly 30 minutes, checking frequently to add water/stock if needed and make sure the lentils don’t cook. Drain lentils and pour over cold water to stop the cooking process. Discard bay leaf and garlic. Add 5 T olive oil and ½ t Kosher salt and mix well.
Lentil Salad 2
For recipe 1, mix the matchstick carrots with spices in a small glass bowl; add a little water, cover and microwave until just tender, maybe 1 ½ minutes. Mix into HALF the prepared cooked lentils along with lemon juice and cilantro leaves. Give the flavors an hour to develop then taste the salad and add more salt if needed.
For recipe 2, mix HALF the prepared cooked lentils with chopped mint leaves, olives, white wine vinegar, shallot/red onion and feta. Give the flavors an hour to develop then taste the salad and add more salt if needed.
Serve at room temperature, with garnish if desired.
