My inspiration for making french lentils comes from a visit I made with my sister to Rose Bakery, which is a restaurant and take-out cafe in the Montmartre area of Paris that features delicious, fresh, and creative dishes. It's a small and pretty unique place; I love that as soon as we walked in, we saw a counter of the day's offerings on our right, and a supply of their fresh produce and various products on our left (see photo).
We were pleasantly surprised by the freshness of all the dishes we tried, and the emphasis placed on fresh, local, and seasonal products. As I mentioned before, the lentil salad stuck with us the most; the creaminess of the cheese mixed with the salty and chewy flavors of the lentils blended so nicely together. I've tried to recreate that here, and I hope you find it satisfying. Merci!
French Lentils with Feta and Sundried Tomatoes- Serves 1
Quick note: I used sundried tomatoes that weren't oil-packed, but only because my supermarket didn't have the oil-packed version - I think the latter would taste better in this salad.
1/2 cup French lentils, dried
2 cups water
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 sprigs thyme
salt
6 oil-packed sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
olive oil
pepper
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 lemon
1. In a small saucepan, pour in the lentils, water, thyme sprigs, garlic clove, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils in a colander.
2. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, then add the sundried tomatoes and 1/2 of the rosemary (if you're using oil-packed tomatoes, place 1/2 a tablespoon olive oil in the skillet). Cook until the tomatoes are slightly softened, about 5 minutes, then add the lentils and remaining rosemary. Stir everything together, and cook for about 5 minutes longer.
3. Toss in the basil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.
2. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, then add the sundried tomatoes and 1/2 of the rosemary (if you're using oil-packed tomatoes, place 1/2 a tablespoon olive oil in the skillet). Cook until the tomatoes are slightly softened, about 5 minutes, then add the lentils and remaining rosemary. Stir everything together, and cook for about 5 minutes longer.
3. Toss in the basil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.
4. Pour on a platter, and toss in the feta cheese.
As usual, I would highly recommend eating this with a baguette.
Bon appetit!
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