Lentil salad Niçoise
serves 8 (assuming some accompanying dish, like a cold
soup)
I had several
people over for dinner the other night, and all raved about this main-dish
salad, which I served with watermelon gazpacho soup, also a big hit. My only
hesitation about the salad recipe is the time it took to prepare. Nothing complicated,
just time-consuming to prep the various ingredients. The original recipe noted
one hour for prep time. My sister Cookie was visiting, and it took the two of
us more than that, from start to finish. The next time, I will do some of the prep
the day before; I've formatted the recipe to suggest doing it that way.
About the
presentation: I put the lentils,
potatoes, and tomato-onion-pepper mixture in a large low, wide bowl, topped
with the fresh herbs. I had the other five ingredients (starting with anchovies
in the list below) in separate bowls, lined up next to the big serving dish. I
had guests serve themselves, so that they could take just the add-ons that they
wanted. This worked well.
1-1/2 cups small brown or green lentils
1 bay leaf
a few thyme sprigs, tied in a bundle (optional)
salt and pepper
1-1/2 lbs tiny new potatoes
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (about 3 cups)
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced and soaked in ice water
2 roasted red bell peppers, cut into 2" strips (I
used jarred peppers)
8 anchovy fillets (optional)
8 ounces canned tuna (for a vegetarian substitute, use
canned garbanzo beans)
8 hard-boiled eggs (or just enough for however many
people you're serving to have one each)
1 cup good-quality black olives, such as Kalamata or
niçoise
4 ounces feta, cut into small bite-size pieces or strips
2 T. roughly chopped mint
3 T. roughly chopped parsley
small handful of basil leaves, cut into thin strips
for the
vinaigrette
1/4 cup red-wine
vinegar
2 garlic cloves,
smashed to a paste (about 1/2 t.)
salt and freshly
ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 t. crumbled
oregano
Prep that can be done the previous day.
1.
Cook the lentils: Rinse the lentils and put in a medium saucepan. Cover
with 4 cups water and add bay leaf, thyme sprig (optional) and a large pinch of
salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer gently with
lid ajar for 20-25 minutes, until lentils are tender. Drain the lentils.
2.
cook the potatoes: Put the potatoes in another saucepan, cover with water, and add a teaspoon
of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to brisk simmer. Cook about 15
minutes, until cooked through when probed with a sharp knife. Drain and let
cool, then store in fridge until the next day.
3.
make the vinaigrette: In a jar with a lid, stir together the vinegar, oil, garlic, a pinch of
salt and pepper, and oregano. Put on the
lid and shake all together.
4.
boil the eggs: Make the hard-boiled eggs. My method:
Put the eggs in a saucepan, using a size where all the eggs fit in one
layer, and won't be rolling around too much. Add cold water to cover. Put the pan on the burner, turn heat to high,
and set timer for 20 minutes. When the water comes to a boil, turn it down to a
simmer. When the 20 minutes is up, run cold water over the eggs until they are
cooled down. They can then be stored in the fridge. When ready to peel, roll
the egg on the counter so that the shell shatters all around, then peel. (They
peel most easily right after they've cooked, but this usually works later as
well.)
On the day dinner will be served: A couple of hours
before dinner, take lentils and potatoes out of the fridge, so they can come to
room temperature. Cut potatoes in quarters.
1. make the tomato-onion-red pepper mixture:
a.
Put ice water in a medium-size bowl. Slice the red onion, and then put it
in with the ice water.
b.
Halve the cherry tomatoes and put them in a medium bowl.
c.
Slice the red pepper into 2" strips, and add to the cherry tomatoes.
d.
Drain the onions (picking out the ice cubes) and add to the tomato/pepper
mixture.
e.
Shake up the vinaigrette, and add half of it to the mixture, tossing to
coat.
2. assemble ingredients that will be set out as options to add in; put each in
a separate small serving bowl/dish:
a.
Anchovies
b.
Canned Tuna
c.
Hard-boiled eggs, sliced
d.
Olives
e.
Feta cheese
2.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD: Put the lentils into a large low, wide bowl or platter.
Add remaining vinaigrette and toss gently. Taste and adjust seasoning as
needed. Top lentils with tomato-onion-pepper mixture. Sprinkle with mint, parsley,
and basil. Arrange quartered potatoes around the perimeter.
3.
Serve with salt, pepper, and some additional vinegar available (I used balsamic), for people to add as they wish.
