Anticiplate

I have to give Twitter credit for this recipe. Yes, reader. Twitter. Did you know that if you ask someone on Twitter to give you inspiration for an ingredient, such as Lentils, that you will get more responses back than you can handle. Try it. Inspiration will come.

I was given recipes for a Mujadara, a magical Lentil soup, a Masoor Dahl, and finally the recipe that I decided on which is this French Lentil and Feta Salad.

If you would have asked me a year ago if I thought that I could get inspiration for a Lentil dish from a tweet, I would have laughed my loud cackle, and paid no attention.

I guess Lentils are seeming to get one last hoorah! before Spring gets its day. They are making their rounds so that people won’t forget them during the long summer months. Or maybe it is because they are inexpensive, and light, and can take on whatever flavor you pair with them.

This winning recipe came to me from Matt Wright over at Wrightfood. I have long admired his cooking style, and gorgeous (stunning!) photography. Early in 2009, I finally got to meet him and a bunch of other food bloggers at a magnificent dinner party that he hosted and cooked(!) for. He credits a lot of his technique from the Thomas Keller cookbook, Bouchon. This recipe is an adaptation that Matt sent me after my worldwide tweet for Lentil inspiration.  Oh yeah. And a shamless plug. If you haven’t already, follow me on Twitter. You never know what creativity you could be giving me.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 6-8

Adapted from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon cookbook via Matt Wright

2 cups French Lentils (de puy if you have them)

1 carrot

5  sprigs of fresh thyme

5 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley

3 bay leaves

6 peppercorns

4 cloves of garlic (peeled)

1/2 red onion

1/2 red onion, finely sliced

A big handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 tablespoon dijon mustard

3 tablespoons zinfandel vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 c. french feta, crumbled into big chunks

1/2 lemon

Rinse the lentils, and pick out any stones. Put them in a large saucepan. In the same pan put the carrot (cut in half lengthwise), 5 sprigs of parsley, thyme, bay, 1/2 red onion and bay. Wrap up the garlic and peppercorns in some cheesecloth, or tea bag, and seal. Now fill with cold water until the water level is about 2 inches over the lentils.

Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 25 minutes, until the lentils are just tender. Drain lentils, and cool rinse cold water over the top of them to stop the cooking. Once cool, remove the vegetables and herbs.

In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon and red wine vinegar. Slowly add the olive oil, constantly whisking to form a smooth emulsion.

Add the other half of the onion, sliced, and the chopped parsley to the lentils. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in the
Dijon dressing, making sure not to add the whole mixture, just enough to coat the lentils. Toss in the feta, and fold in gently.

Serve this on small plates at room temperature with a bit of lemon juice.

*This keeps in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.