Warm Potato Salad with Lentils

Warm Lentil and Potato Salad

Warm Lentil and Potato Salad with a Garlicky Mustard Vinaigrette
Adapted from a few David Tanis recipes
If you can find tiny dark green French lentilles de Puy or Italian lenticcie Castelluccio, you’ll be glad you did; they’re minerally, nutty and not starchy at all — nothing like your average “for your health!” lentil mush soup. I tend to grab two bags or boxes whenever I find them, and keep them in the coolest, darkest place I can find in my steam-heated sauna of an apartment. I’ve also ordered the French lentils online before from here, though I actually brought these inexpensive lentils — and the capers and olive oil, used here — back from Castroni, the greatest food store in Rome, last summer.
Before you ask, Can you put kale in this too? Of course you can.
Makes 4 lunch servings, 6 servings as a side dish
2 large shallots, 1 halved, 1 finely diced,
4 sprigs of thyme
1 small bay leaf
1 cup dry small green lentils (see Note up top for varieties)
1 small bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 pound fingerling potatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced or smashed to a paste (I use less)
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of your favorite olive oil
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed if salted, drained if brined, and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons cornichons or other sour gherkins, roughly chopped
1 to 2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Cook lentils: Pick over and rinse lentils. Place them in a small/medium saucepan with the halved shallot, thyme branches, bay leaf, some salt and 4 cups of water. Simmer the lentils over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm-tender. Drain (discarding shallot, thyme and bay leaf) and keep warm.
Meanwhile, cook potatoes: In a separate saucepan, cover potatoes with 1 to 2 inches cold water. Set timer for 15 minutes, then bring potatoes to a simmer. When the timer rings, they should be easily pierced with a toothpick or knife. Drain and keep warm.
Make the dressing: Place the chopped shallot and red wine vinegar in the bottom of a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in minced garlic, dijon, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper and olive oil. Stir in chopped capers, cornichon and scallions.
Assemble salad: Slice potatoes into 1/2-inch segments and place in serving bowl. Add lentils, dressing and all but 1 tablespoon parsley and combine. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Scatter salad with remaining parsley.
Serve alone, with a soft-cooked egg on top, or as a side to a larger roast, chop or sausages. Reheat as needed. If you plan to make this at the outset of several meals and would like to eat it warm, I’d keep the dressing separate, warming only the lentils and potatoes and stirring in the cold dressing to taste.

LENTIL CHILI

Serve over brown rice....recipe from Yoga Journal

1.5 cups of brown lentils
1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1.5 cups frozen corn kernels
3 cups water
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin
1 T. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Avocado and cilantro for topping, optional

Cover lentils with water and bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes and drain.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat.
Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes.
Add jalapeno and garlic and saute for another minute. 
Add lentils, tomatoes, corn, water, salt cumin, chili powder and cinnamon.
Bring to a boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to lower. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Top with diced avocado and cilantro leaves.

The Best Lentil Soup

Cover 1 cup lentils with water. Boil 3 minutes and drain.

Add 6 cups of water (or 3 cups vegetable broth and 3 cups water), 1 large stalk celery finely sliced, 1 large carrot finely chopped, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 medium onion, chopped, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 3/4 c. tomato sauce, 1 bay leaf.

(I usually enlarge the recipe a bit by using one and a half cup of lentils, 4 cups water, 4 cups broth, 2 stalks celery, 2 carrots, a large onion, and a cup of tomato sauce).

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer one to one-and-a-half hours. Add more water if needed.

Add 2 - 3 T. red wine vinegar (helps to use a really good brand of vinegar), stir, and cook 10 minutes longer.

Minted Lentil and Goat Cheese Strudel/Easter 2010

From "The Herbal Kitchen"
2 T. olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup French-style lentils, such as lentilles du Puy
1 and 3/4 cup water
1 and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 and 1/2 T. chopped thyme
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup chopped parsley
freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces soft goat cheese
24 sheets phyllo dough 9 x 14 inches
melted butter

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and cook the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in the lentils, water, and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain off any liquid, transfer lentils to a mixing bowl, and stir in herbs, black pepper and goat cheese.

Butter 4 layers of phyllo dough on top of parchment paper. Divide the filling into 6 equal parts and form one part into a cylinder across the long side of the phyllo, about an inch from the edge. Roll the dough up around the phyllo, but not too tightly or the filling will burst through the dough when it cooks. Lift onto a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with more butter. Make remaining 5 strudels the same way.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let cook, and cut each strudel into 8 pieces.