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May 07, 2007
Lentil Salad with Whole-Grain Mustard Dressing
I whipped this up tonight because I felt like lentils for dinner, but due to the hot weather I didn't want anything too heavy. Mr. Spaceling requested that I blog this so I can be sure of making it again.
The secret ingredient in this is a whole-grain mustard. It helps add a nice sharpness to counterbalance to earthiness of the lentils. I used a British whole-grain mustard that's pretty mild - you'll probably need to taste frequently as you put the salad together to figure out how much mustard you need.
The Ingredients
- 1 cup French green lentils
- 3-4 handfuls baby spinach
- 1/2 container of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2-3 bottled roasted red peppers, diced
- 2-3 scallions, sliced
- a couple of ounces of cotija or feta cheese, diced (cotija is a Mexican cheese that is mild, crumbly, and salty, much like a feta. I used it because I happened to have some on hand.)
- a few ounces of hard salami, diced (I used a Columbus hard salami that is coated with ground pepper, for extra kick.)
- juice of 1 lemon
- a few tablespoons of whole-grain mustard, or to taste
- olive oil to taste
The Steps
- Put the lentils in a pot with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook, about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender, but still relatively firm.
- While the lentils are cooking, cut up your vegetables, cheese, and salami, and put all the ingredients except the lemon juice, mustard, and oil into a large bowl.
- Whisk the lemon juice, mustard, and olive oil together in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper, taste the mixture, and add more mustard or lemon juice if necessary.
- When the lentils are cooked, drain them, and toss them while they are still warm into the large bowl. Add the dressing, and toss everything.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. (You might find that you need to add more mustard.)
Posted by spaceling at May 7, 2007 09:34 PM
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