Spanish cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Lentil Salad

Lukewarm salad of firm-to-the-bite mountain lentils with carrot, red bell pepper and a sherry vinegar dressing.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 300 g brown lentils
• 2 carrots
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 red onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Rinse the lentils and put them on to cook with the bay leaves, one crushed clove of garlic and twice the amount of cold water; simmer gently without salt for 20–25 min. until tender but still holding their shape.
2. Peel one carrot, cut it into fine dice and add it in for the last 8 min. of cooking so it gives its sweetness to the lentils.
3. Drain the lentils, remove the bay leaves and garlic clove and let them drain only briefly – lukewarm they take up the dressing best.
4. Finely dice the second carrot raw, deseed the red bell pepper and dice it just as small, and finely chop the onion.
5. Finely grate the remaining garlic cloves and whisk with olive oil, sherry vinegar, paprika, salt and pepper.
6. Combine the lentils, raw vegetables and dressing, let sit for 15 min. and serve the salad lukewarm sprinkled with chopped parsley.