Puy lentil, cherry tomato and goat’s cheese salad
I love this salad with its contrasting textures and flavours: crisp celeriac julienne, soft lentils, juicy tomatoes, flavourful goat’s cheese and onion. The components can be prepared in advance, ready to assemble a few minutes before serving.
SERVES 6
180g green Puy lentils
1 medium carrot, cut into large dice
1 bouquet garni (a few thyme sprigs, a bay leaf and a small handful of parsley stalks, tied together)
1 medium onion (ideally red), finely diced
100ml light olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
A pinch of cayenne pepper
½ celeriac, peeled, cut into julienne
Juice of ½ lemon
3 small semi-fresh goat’s cheeses, each cut into 6 pieces
6 slices of baguette (cut 5mm thick on the diagonal)
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
A few coriander leaves, finely snipped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Put the lentils into a pan and cover generously with cold water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat and cook for 2 minutes, then skim off any impurities from the surface and tip the lentils into a colander to drain.
Return the lentils to the pan and cover generously again with cold water. Add the carrot, bouquet garni and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and cook at a gentle simmer for 20–25 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in the cooking water until barely warm.
Pick out and discard the bouquet garni, drain the lentils and carrot well and transfer to a salad bowl. Add the diced onion and trickle over the olive oil and wine vinegar. Season with the cayenne and a little salt and pepper, then toss everything together. Leave to stand for 10–15 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the celeriac and cut into julienne. Add to a pan of boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds, then drain and refresh in cold water. Drain thoroughly and tip into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and toss well.
Just before serving, add the celeriac julienne to the lentil salad, followed by the pieces of goat’s cheese. Rub the baguette slices very lightly with the cherry tomato halves and sprinkle the coriander over them. Gently mix the tomato halves into the lentils, arrange the baguette slices around the edge of the bowl and serve.