Brown Lentil Salad Recipes

LENTIL SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme together in a large mixing bowl. Add the warm lentils and bacon and stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.;
• Pick over the lentils, rinse and drain. Place the lentils along with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pork into a large 6-quart saucepan and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Place over high heat and bring just to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid and discard the onion, garlic, bay leaf and salt pork. Stir in black pepper and taste for salt. Serve immediately.
• Note from Alton: Those of you who watched this program on the 17th or 18th will want to disregard one particular suggestion I made regarding lentils: don't feed the left over onions to your dog. It turns out onions are not good for dogs in any shape or form. I'm grateful to the fans who emailed me after the airing for setting me straight on this nutritional peculiarity. As for my own dog's ability to digest onions, well...she's more hog than dog I guess.
• Cook smart,
• Alton

MEDITERRANEAN POWER LENTIL SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the lentils. In a saucepan, combine lentils with 3 cups of water and pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, and lower heat to medium-low. Let simmer until the lentils are fully tender (anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes depending on the kind of lentils used). Be sure to check and add water if lentils seem too dry during the cooking process (they should absorb a lot of the water. Drain and set aside to cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked lentils with chopped onions, cucumbers, baby spinach, parsley, and pomegranate seeds (arils.) Give everything a gentle toss.
• Make the dressing. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the lime dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the lentil salad and toss to combine. Add a sprinkle of feta cheese to finish.
• Allow a few minutes for the flavors to meld before serving.

BROWN LENTIL SALAD

Steps:

• Rinse and drain lentils. Place in medium heavy saucepan and add onion halves (with cloves), bay leaf, and enough water to cover by an inch. Bring to the boil, reduce to barely a simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper, and a little more water if none is visible when you tilt the pan, and cook another 1020 minutes until lentils are creamy inside but still intact. Drain and remove onions and bay leaf. Let cool.
• Mix lentils in a bowl with fennel, radishes, green pepper, carrot, onion and garlic. Make vinaigrette by whisking together vinegar and mustard in small bowl, then gradually drizzling in olive oil while whisking until an emulsion is formed. Pour vinaigrette over lentils and vegetables, add oregano, and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve at room temperature.

LENTIL AND BULGUR SALAD

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, cover lentils with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover, and cook until lentils are tender but still holding their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in bulgur,1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper. Cover; remove from heat, and let stand until bulgur has absorbed liquid, 30 minutes.
• Transfer bulgur to a large bowl. Gently stir in lentils, tomatoes, scallions, lemon juice, and oil. Serve sprinkled with feta.

LENTIL AND SCALLION SALAD

Steps:

• Put the pork up to cook with 4 cups water and simmer for 1½ hours. Remove pork and skim off any fat.
• Rinse the lentils and drain, then add them to the broth the pork was cooked in. Cook the lentils for about 25 minutes, or until just tender, then drain them and leave them to cool.
• Slice the white section of the scallions very thin and add them to the lentils.
• When cold, sprinkle in the dressing made by shaking the oil, vinegar, and seasonings in a screw-topped jar until well mixed. Gently stir the dressing through and leave the lentil salad to marinate for a few hours before serving.

COLD LENTIL SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Peel outer skins from garlic bulbs and cut about 1/4 inch from the top of each bulb to expose cloves; place each bulb onto a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle each with about 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and wrap garlic bulbs in the foil. Place wrapped bulbs into a baking dish.
• Bake garlic in the preheated oven until soft, about 30 minutes. Let bulbs cool.
• Place lentils into a 5-quart pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes; stir occasionally. Drain lentils in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse with cold water to cool; drain again.
• Break garlic bulbs apart and squeeze cloves to release cooked garlic. Place garlic into a large salad bowl and add grape tomatoes, parsley, and green onions. Whisk balsamic vinegar with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Fold lentils into tomato mixture and pour dressing over salad; gently toss to coat. Keep refrigerated until serving time.

BROWN RICE LENTIL SALAD

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the rice, water and bouillon to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until rice is tender. Cool., In a large bowl, combine the rice, lentils, tomato, onions and parsley. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over rice mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

LENTIL SALAD (FOOD NETWORK- ALTON BROWN)

Steps:

• Pick over lentils, rinse and drain.
• Place the lentils along with the onion, garlic, bay leaf and salt into a large 6-quart saucepan and cover with water by 2-3 inches.
• Place over high heat and bring just to a rolling boil.
• Reduce the heat to low.
• cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
• Drain any remaining liquid and discard the onion, garlic and bay leaf.
• Stir in black pepper and taste for salt.
• Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme together in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the warm lentils and bacon and stir to combine.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

LENTIL SALAD, 4 TRADITIONAL VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Combine the lentils, water and bay leaf in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until tender, 20-30 minutes.
• While lentils cook, make the dressing: mix all ingredients except oil. Slowly add the oil while constantly whisking, to create an emulsion.
• Drain lentils, and while warm transfer lentils to a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over lentils, and toss gently to coat.
• Just prior to serving, add onion and tomato.
• Ethiopian Variation (Yemiser Selatta): Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 chopped red or yellow onions and 2-4 seeded and minced hot chile peppers, and saute until softened. Add to the salad.
• Greek Variation (Salata Faki): Add 3/4 to 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese, 1/3 cup chopped green olives, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh spearmint.
• Yemenite Variation (Salata Adas): Add 1 cup tahini and increase the lemon juice to 1 cup and the parsley to 2 cups. Using a large mortar and pestle, potato masher, or a food processor, mash the combined salad into a paste.

BROWN BUTTER LENTIL AND SWEET POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees and set a rack in the center.
• Prepare the sweet potatoes: On a baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spread into an even layer and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, 15 to 25 minutes.
• While the sweet potatoes cook, prepare the lentils: Add the lentils to a medium pot and cover with about 6 cups water. Salt the water generously and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook the lentils until just tender, 15 to 25 minutes. Drain the lentils then return them to the pot. Cover to keep warm.
• Prepare the vinaigrette: Add the sage to a small bowl. Melt the butter in a small skillet set over medium heat. (Use a pan with a light interior so you can easily see the milk solids change color.) Cook the butter a few minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the milk solids off the bottom and sides of the pan as needed, until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell toasty.
• Pour the hot browned butter and all of the toasty bits over the sage; it will crackle and foam a bit. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute to let the foam subside, then whisk in the olive oil, followed by the red wine vinegar and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the cooked sweet potatoes to the pot with the warm lentils. Pour the dressing over the top and stir gently to combine. Add the parsley, season with more salt and pepper, if desired, and toss to combine.
• Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and sprinkle with goat cheese, if using. Serve warm.