A friend recently asked if she could include me in a feature she was writing about plant-based chefs; of course I agreed, I’m absolutely honored that she thought of me. The idea behind the piece is to offer a peek inside the chef’s pantry/fridge and explore their must-have pantry items for plant-based cooking. I was asked to include a recipe that used at least three of those staple ingredients – of course my overachieving self went for all five, and this Black Lentil Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette was born. You’ll have to wait until the article is published to see what I had to say about pantry ingredients, but in the meantime I wanted to share the recipe with you.
It’s really self-explanatory, so I just have a couple of quick notes and I’ll leave you to it. First, make sure you toast your sunflower seeds well for optimal crunch and flavor – they should be deeply golden like the ones in the photo I posted above. I keep the pan moving a lot to make sure the seeds don’t burn, tossing them occasionally so they toast evenly. If you’re not super adept at tossing, you can just shake the pan vigorously. Second, use good quality olive oil and sherry vinegar for the dressing. Your vinaigrette is only as good as the ingredients you use in it! (If you don’t have sherry vinegar you can substitute red wine vinegar; the flavor will be a touch different but still delicious.)
That’s it, this is a simple one. I’ll link to the article once it’s published; in the meantime, enjoy the salad!
- Salad:
- 33g (¼ cup) raw shelled sunflower seeds
- Water
- 1 large carrot, cut into small (¼ inch) dice
- Kosher or sea salt
- 1 large stalk celery, cut into small (¼ inch) dice
- 1 Persian cucumber or ½ hothouse cucumber, cut into small (¼ inch) dice
- 2 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
- 4 oz (½ cup) dried Beluga (black) lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 1 small piece (about 2 inches) kombu
- 1 medium garlic clove, lightly crushed but still intact
- 1 bay leaf
- Vinaigrette:
- 25ml (5 tsp) extra virgin olive oil
- 30ml (2 Tbsp) sherry vinegar
- 8ml (1 ½ tsp) Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp minced shallot or garlic
- ½ tsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground pepper
- Toast the sunflower seeds: Set a small saucepan over medium heat and add sunflower seeds. Toast seeds, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant and evenly golden brown. Transfer to a dish to cool.
- Blanch the carrots: Fill the same saucepan about halfway with water; add a pinch of salt and bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, add the carrot, and cook for 2 minutes. Drain in a fine sieve, running under cold water to stop the cooking process. Shake any excess water from the carrots and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the celery, cucumber, radish, and herbs.
- Cook the lentils: Add lentils to the saucepan with ¼ tsp salt, kombu, crushed garlic clove, and bay leaf. Add water to cover by one inch, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover partially with a lid, and cook for about 18 minutes until lentils are tender but still have some bite.
- Make the vinaigrette: While lentils are cooking, whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl, or add them all to a jar and shake well. Set aside until ready to use.
- Assemble and serve: Drain the lentils (discard the garlic and bay leaf), and add them to the bowl with the vegetables and herbs. Drizzle in the dressing, toss to combine thoroughly, and add the toasted sunflower seeds. Toss again, and serve.
Leave a Reply