maple•spice: Rosemary Marinated Puy Lentil and Sweet Pepper Salad

Friday, 11 May 2012

Rosemary Marinated Puy Lentil and Sweet Pepper Salad

I'm finally back in the kitchen! This was delicious and is so wonderfully healthy and easy. Puy lentils cooked with rosemary are marinated in a sharp mustard vinaigrette with the rosemary and served over sweet peppers and simple lettuce.

You can use whatever leaf you like here, I don't even know what I've used here as we were given a potted lettuce that we keep and grow on our windowsill (for the record, triple glazed eco-therm windows really retain heat!!)

So, I haven't a clue what it is - if you know let me know though as it's really nice lettuce, even if it did make my salad look like it was on a bed of Autumnal leaves! (Ha! Those vegans will eat anything!!)

As for the lentils, they'll have to be Puy and they'll have to be cooked from raw - no tins this time as you want them to take some marinating and not get too soft. I've used my favourite mustard dressing here as the marinade, it's a very sharp dressing with vinegar and dijon mustard so the sweet peppers counter that beautifully. Serves 2.

Rosemary Marinated Puy Lentil and Sweet Pepper Salad:

50g dry weight Puy Lentils
1 sprig fresh rosemary
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2 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
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Sweet peppers (anything but green)
Large lettuce leaves

Wash and rinse the lentils well then place in a large pot with the rosemary and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then boil rapidly with the lid off for 10 minutes. Put the lid on and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, check they are tender, if not give them a little longer. When they are tender drain, remove the now empty sprig of rosemary and rinse the lentils under cold water - leave the rosemary leaves there. Drain well then place in a bowl.

To make the dressing/marinade add the olive oil to a small bowl, while whisking slowly add the vinegar until it is emulsified. Now whisk in the mustard until smooth then whisk in the salt and a couple grinds of black pepper. Pour this over the lentils, cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight. You can use it at this stage as well, or just let it marinate a few hours, it'll still taste great. I must also warn you that it WILL look like frog spawn at this stage. Shrugs.

When you are ready to serve simply place a few large lettuce leaves of your choice on a couple plates, top with slices of sweet peppers and spoon over the lentils and dressing. Serve immediately!