Lentil Salad With Walnut Oil
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2cups green Le Puy lentils, washed and picked over
- 2large garlic cloves, crushed
- 1bay leaf
- 1medium onion, cut in half
- 1medium carrot, quartered
- 6cups water
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground pepper
- ¼cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½cup broken walnuts
- 2tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 1tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Salt
- 1shallot, minced, or 1 garlic clove, minced
- ⅓cup walnut oil
- Salt
- freshly ground pepper
For the Lentils
For the Dressing
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
428 calories; 20 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 872 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Combine the lentils, garlic, bay leaf, onion, carrot and water in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste (1 to 2 teaspoons), reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 35 to 45 minutes until the lentils are tender. Remove from the heat. and discard the onion, carrot, garlic cloves and bay leaf. Drain through a strainer set over a bowl.
- Step 2
Whisk together the vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and shallot or garlic. Whisk in the oil and 2 to 4 tablespoons of the liquid from the lentils. Stir into the lentils. Add the parsley and pepper, and taste and adjust salt. Spoon onto plates, arrange walnuts on top of the lentils, and serve.
- Advance preparation: This will keep for five days in the refrigerator. If you make the lentils ahead, do not drain before storing. They will continue to absorb liquid. Drain before dressing, adding liquid from the lentils to taste.
Private Notes
Comments
Good both warm from the pot and cold from the fridge!
My tweaks, developed over time: toast the walnut pieces lightly but don't add until ready to serve (to best preserve their texture); don't discard the garlic cloves from Step 1 but run them through a garlic press and add them back to the lentils; DO drain the lentils I plan to refrigerate but dress them while still warm, and add some minced chives and celery (the pale, tender inner stalks - again, for texture) to the cold version.
A perfect springtime dish here in south-east France. Someone just gave me some freshly milled walnut oil and I bought the locally grown lentils in the street market. They cooked in only 20 minutes. I used a shallot and sherry vinegar in the dressing. I prepared everything the night before but assembled the salad just before serving it on a bed of soft lettuce leaves. Fresh baked whole grain soughdough spread with some warm demi-sel butter from l'ile de Ré was perfect for mopping the plate.
I like to make this a day ahead (yes, including the dressing) and refrigerate it overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Absolutely delicious!
Be careful: Avoid overcooking the lentils.. the mushy effect is not desirable for this kind of dish.
I also like to add some chopped celery with the leaves and feta for a light lunch.
I love both the original Patricia Wells recipe that this is based on—simplicity itself—and this one. Walnut oil is well worth getting as a treat—and the flavors and contrast in textures hit all the right notes. I’ve used both green lentils and beluga lentils and they all work great. I don’t discard the garlic or onion. And dress the lentils while warm so that the lentils really soak up the flavor. This is amazing with fresh crusty bread, a dressed green salad, and potatoes gratin. So good!
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