I’ve been craving legumes for well over two weeks. Since I shifted my diet to be less reliant on meat, beans and lentils make regular appearances at my dinner table. As much as I enjoy the food at Gerlev and Copenhagen, they were just a little too heavy on carbohydrates and animal protein. The choice of food certainly fit well with the increased training load on my body but I miss my vegetarian dishes.
On the first night I returned home, I quickly made myself a large bowl of French lentil salad. Every bite of the mineral and earthy taste of lentil dressed in walnut sherry vinaigrette reminded me how much I love these unassuming little pellets. A key trick of making lentils flavourful is to season them while they are still warm. While the French lentils were simmering, I made a simple vinaigrette using walnut oil, sherry vinegar, and maple mustard. As I returned the jars back to the fridge, I noticed a little container of rendered duck fat. Score! The duck fat added just enough meaty savoury taste to the lentils without being overwhelming. If you want to keep the dish vegetarian, it is entirely optional.
I would be happy to finish my warm lentil salad right then and there but it was a little one-dimensional. I let it cool to room temperature and put it away for the night with many ideas in my head. The next morning, I went to the grocery store and bought some ingredients to complete this salad. Green onions and tender spring radishes add crunch and freshness to the lentils. Also, some toasted hazelnuts echo the richness of walnut oil in the vinaigrette. The result is a very satisfying main course salad perfect for spring.
Slowly but surely, I’m adjusting back to the normal flow of everyday life. Vacation is fun and all but there is something to be said about the peaceful rhythm at home surrounded by all my creature comfort, including food that make me smile with every bite.
Lentil Salad with Radish & Hazelnut
serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup French lentils, picked over
- 1 tbsp homemade vegetable bouillon
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 2 tbsp walnut oil
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tsp maple mustard or Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp rendered duck fat, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp dry parsley
- 1 cup spring radish, cut to small bite-size pieces
- 2 stalks of green onion, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup unblanched hazelnuts
Method
- In a medium pot, cover lentils with plenty of water. Add vegetable bouillon, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to boil then turn down the heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes until tender.
- While the lentils are cooking, make the vinaigrette. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together walnut oil, sherry vinegar, and mustard.
- Drain the lentils and discard bay leaf and thyme. Dress lentils immediately with vinaigrette in the mixing bowl. Stir in rendered duck fat and dry parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fold in spring radish and green onion. Adjust seasoning if necessary. At this point you can cool and store the salad in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Just before serving, toast hazelnuts in 350F oven for about 7 minutes or until skin start to blister. Tip into a tea towel and twist into a bundle to steam them a bit. Rub the hazelnuts from outside the towel to remove as much skin as you like. Roughly chop the hazelnuts and scatter on top of salad. Serve immediately.
