Dreaming of Lentils

Tuesday night I saw Amelia eating the most scrumptious looking lentils and have been craving them ever since.  I usually buy the pre-cooked black lentils from Trader Joe's, but Amelia's delightful looking French green lentils have inspired me to branch out.  She says that cooking them from scratch is super easy.  They don't even need to be soaked over night.  Just rinse the lentils and cook away.  This yummy recipe seems like it would make a perfect side dish for a chic** dinner party, as well as a fantastic lunch for a lazy day at the beach...

Recipe courtesy of Alice Waters’s The Art of Simple Food. 

(servings 
4)

INGREDIENTS 

-1 cup lentils (French green lentils or black Beluga lentils are the best varieties to use for lentil salads because they have lots of flavor and they hold their shape when cooked.)

-1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
-
salt

-fresh-ground black pepper

-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

-1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions or 
3 tablespoons finely diced shallot

-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
PREPARATION 

1. Sort and rinse the lentils. Cover with water by 3 inches and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until tender all the way through (adding more water if necessary), about 30 minutes. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Toss the lentils with the red wine vinegar, salt, and fresh-ground black pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt and vinegar if needed.
3. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, scallions or shallot, and parsley. Stir to combine. If the lentils seem dry and are hard to stir, loosen them with a bit of the reserved cooking liquid.

-♥ J :)

**And speaking of chic...check out Amelia's blog Clotheshorse NYC.  Her blog is such a fabulous good time that I wish I could vacation there.

Photo by Phillp Friedman