Lentil salad

I made this salad a couple of weeks ago after being inspired by some of the recipes I found in Mark Bittmans, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. (Another Express read from the library!)

The actual recipe here is loosely based on this one, which really is more of a food memory than an actual recipe.

Start buy cooking the lentils (I used Puy) in enough water to cover. I flavoured the liquid with a smashed clove of garlic and some rosemary and thyme. You need to cook them for quite a while. I was impatient and took them off the heat early, but ideally they should simmer for at least 30 minutes, until they're mushy rather than annoyingly al dente, as mine were.

Doesn't this pot look like something out of a Harry Potter movie?

Next, prep some of the veg, which in my case, where freshly shelled new peas.

Dice and cook two pieces of bacon until crispy.

Then add in some chopped carrot to soften, along with some garlic.

Peel and chop one beet. Recipes always say to wear gloves when doing this, but I never find my hands remain stained all that long.

Whip up a little dressing, with some lemon juice, dijon mustard (I only had grainy) and a splash of red wine vinegar. I added only a splash of olive oil, since I was going to incorporate the bacon fat into the finished salad.

And here's what it looks like all assembled, topped with feta cheese. You can see here that I added in the beets (raw) and some asparagus, which I cooked. The salad is very nice warm, where the cheese melts a bit into the lentils, but also keeps very well cold and makes a great lunch.

Lentil salad

1 c. of Puy lentils
2 slices bacon, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 large beet, peeled and diced
1 clove of garlic, chopped
handful of fresh or frozen peas
8-10 spears of asparagus, steamed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

For the dressing

1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1/4 c. (approx.) lemon juice and red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
splash of olive oil
*dressing is really to taste, and you may need to adjust amounts depending on how dressed you like your salad

1. Begin by cooking the lentils in enough water to cover, flavoured with herbs and garlic of your choosing.

2. Dice bacon and cook in skillet until crispy.

3. When bacon is almost cooked, add in carrot and garlic. Cook until softened.

4. When lentils are cooked and slightly mushy, drain and add to pan with bacon and carrots. Toss in other vegetables and add in dressing. Top with some crumbled feta cheese and enjoy!