Inspired by a little French bistro I went to last March in Manhattan. Been craving Le Puys ever since! And since I’ve yet to find a (authentic) little French bistro in Houston that serves lentil salad, I’ll just have to make my own. Adjustments I would try in the future: add bacon. Mmm..bacon. Stopped at the bacon isle today but resisted. I’ve got a wedding to go to in a few weeks. Must fit into bridesmaid dress…Anyway, I think a nice smokey bacon flavor would compliment this well. Without it, it’s just kind of tangy. Which is fine. But you know, bacon makes everything better, no?
Lentils: (makes a big bowl. 4-5 cups)
- 1.5 cups green lentils (le Puy)
- 3 handfuls of baby spinach
- 2 shallots, minced
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 large bay leaf
- 0.5 – 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp parsley
Dressing:
- < 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- << 1/4 cup EVOO
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ~1/4-1/2 cup liquid from lentils
INSTRUCTIONS:
- rinse lentils.
- put lentils, bay leaf, and crushed garlic in a ~3 qt pot and cover with water (submerge by at least 1-2 inches).
- bring to a simmer and cover for 30 min or until lentils are just soft.
- remove bay leaf and drain lentils when done, reserving the water. set aside.
- in pot, melt a pat of butter, or a little bit of olive oil, and saute shallots until soft. (i added an extra minced garlic. just ’cause i like garlic.)
- add spinach and saute until just wilted. remove from heat and mix in lentils. toss and combine.
- mix ingredients for dressing until emulsified. pour over lentils.
- serve warm (i served it as a side to a pan seared steelhead trout.)
yea. see that hole in the center? i almost took a bite before i realized, again, that i’d forgotten to take a picture. man. i’ve gotta stop doing that. note to self: stop waiting until you’re hungry to start cooking.
