Puy Lentil Salad with Caramelized Vegetables

I’ve mentioned more than once that I’m a librarian, and while I worked with the public for years, my current position finds me in Technical Services, the all-encompassing term for cataloguing, receiving, processing, ILL, and acquisitions. A special perk of working in this department is that all items originate here, so I get to see the new books upon arrival. Awesome, right? One such title, The Eat-clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno, caught my eye, and as I flipped through it, I saw this gorgeous picture of a lentil dish made with Puy lentils. I mentioned it to my friend Melinda, who brought me a bag of them the next day. Lovely friend, Melinda is. Anyway, I promptly put the bag into my purse, aka, the bottomless pit, and they were not see again until Saturday, when I was hunting for a figurine of Spock to occupy Andrew while we waited in a restaurant. To answer your question, yes, Spock was found, along with Lala and Po.

Yesterday, I decided to cook the lentils, and then realized that while I had checked out the book, it was still on my desk. At work. So, I threw this little salad together, and when I checked the recipe this morning, it’s totally different,but it’s still really delicious and just as pretty.



Puy Lentil Salad with Caramelized Vegetables Printable recipe

Caramelized Vegetables
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 small red onion
1/2 cup red bell pepper
12-15 Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
3 sprigs thyme
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Salad
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced red or yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
Tangy Mustard Vinaigrette

Lentils
1/2 cup Puy lentils
1 clove garlic
2 sprigs thyme
1/8 teaspoon salt
water

Prepare the caramelized vegetables:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a large baking pan with parchment or spray with non-stick spray.
Combine grape tomatoes, sliced red onion, bell pepper, Kalamata olives, thyme sprigs and olive oil.
Roast until caramelized, about 40-45 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Prepare the vinaigrette, toss with the raw salad and cooled caramelized vegetables, and set aside while you cook the lentils.
Prepare the lentils:
Rinse lentils and remove any debris.
In a 2 quart saucepan, combine lentils, garlic clove, thyme sprigs, and enough water to cover by 2 inches.
Bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer.
Cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes.
Drain, remove clove and thyme, and combine with the other salad ingredients and serve.

Enjoy!