Lentils, Your Fussy Aunt, and a Promise of Summer

Guest Blogger, Sumra Harper-Deas, Anti-Hunger & Opportunity Corps –VISTA at Hunger Free Vermont 

Using The Greens Cookbook is like cooking with your fussy aunt who has very particular opinions about every move you make in the kitchen. And her opinions require extra steps, and extra time with nearly every ingredient. In my house, we’ve learned to approach this cookbook with equal parts respect and apprehension. A recipe might look simple, but we’ve been burned before; an hour and a half later than expected, dinner finally emerges with crabby children and impatient guests in tow.

The results, almost every time, are superb. The fussy aunt may be on to something with all those little extra steps -all that tender care given each ingredient. It’s an insistent, often needed reminder to rejoice in the creation of a meal. Needless to say, since we’ve had our second child, and I have started working full time, we almost never turn to The Greens as we pull together our week’s menu. That said we have occasionally come across gems from this book that fit the bill for a (relatively) quick week night meal. The Lentil Salad with Mint, Roasted Peppers, and Feta Cheese recipe (below) is one of those gems.

Although this recipe is great as it is, there are a number of changes that come to mind when I think someone preparing it on a tight budget. After spending a year working with Hunger Free Vermont’s Learning Kitchen program, I can no longer take a recipe at face value. Instead I see the series of obstacles it represents for someone with limited resources. I immediately seek to overcome these obstacles in way that preserves the essence of the dish. Sometimes this is hard. Sometimes it’s impossible. This lentil salad is a good one for modifications because the essence of the dish lies in the Lemon Vinaigrette and the herbs. Green peppers can be used in place of red and they can be sautéed instead of charred over a burner, or broiled in the oven. Dried herbs can replace the fresh, the lentils don’t need to be French, vegetable oil could be used in place of olive, and the feta cheese can be made optional.

This recipe is a really good introduction to lentils, which can sometimes impart a kind of monotone heaviness to a meal. Not so with this salad. The herbs and the lemon vinaigrette give it a light, fresh, almost summery feel. A much needed change by the time March comes around. The flavors in this salad give it a kind of hopeful appeal. A promise that summer will descend upon these Vermont hills in a few short months, regardless of the impenetrable, frozen earth beneath our thickly soled feet.

Lentil Salad with Mint, Roasted Peppers, and Feta Cheese

From The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups small French lentils

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced into 1/8-inch squares

½ small onion, finely diced

1 bay leaf

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

½ teaspoon salt

2 medium red bell peppers

Lemon Vinaigrette (see below)

2 teaspoons mint, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped mixture of herbs: parsley, marjoram or cilantro, thyme

Pepper

Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar to taste

8 ounces feta cheese

Olive oil, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Rinse the lentils, cover them generously with water, and bring them to a boil with the carrot, onion, bay leaf, garlic, and salt. Simmer them until they are cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes. They should be tender, just a little firm, and still hold their shape. Drain the lentils and save the liquid for soup stock.

While the lentils are cooking, roast the peppers over a flame until they are evenly charred, and put them in a covered bowl to steam for 10 minutes or so; then scrape off the charred skins with a knife. Do not rinse them under water, or the flavorful juices will be lost. Slit them open, remove the veins and seeds, and cut them into squares.

Prepare the vinaigrette and fold it into the warm lentils. Add the mint, herbs, and most of the peppers. Taste, and season with freshly ground black pepper and additional salt, if needed. Taste again just before serving and add a little more vinegar to brighten the flavors. Crumble the feta cheese and gently stir it into the lentils. Garnish with the remaining peppers and drizzle some olive oil over the surface. A Rhone wine would nicely complement this salad. Either a zinfandel or a chardonnay would also be good.

LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Juice and peel of one large lemon

¼ teaspoon paprika

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon salt

6 to 8 tablespoons virgin olive oil

Remove two wide strips of peel from the lemon with a vegetable peeler, and slice them into narrow slivers. Put 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice in a bowl with the lemon peel, paprika, cayenne, garlic, and salt. Whisk in 6 tablespoons of the olive oil and taste. Adjust for tartness, adding more lemon juice or oil, whichever is need.

SERVES FOUR TO SIX