What is wonderful about the heat of summer is the desire to eat raw, fresh, clean foods so with a little help from the plentiful sunlight we all get that healthy holiday glow even if we have not left our home.
This dish is the ultimate proof that pulses are not just for the winter and something as earthy as lentils can be made into a delicious, fresh salad which topped with some feta cheese becomes a complete meal.
You may substitute the green tomatoes with thinly sliced red tomatoes or fennel for equally delicious results.
For a very easy and quick dish, use 2 tins of lentils, drained. Leave out the feta for a plant based diet
Ingredients (serves 6)
- 500g lentils
- 1 medium sized onion, peeled, trimmed and quartered
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 celery sticks, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
- Celery leaves, finely sliced
- 2 small green tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, washed, cored, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch of dill, finely chopped
- 3-4 tbsp good red wine vinegar
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 200g feta
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Method
Start by cooking the lentils. Rinse them under running water and add to a large pan together with the onion and bay leaves. Cover with water, bring to the boil, lower the heat and cook until tender but not mushy. Depending on the type of lentils, this would take 20-30 minutes. When the lentils are cooked, drain and remove the onion and bay leaves.
When chilled, add the lentils to a large salad bowl and mix in all the remaining ingredients apart from the feta and oregano. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and adjust the acidity by adding some fresh lemon juice which gives a freshness to the flavours too.
Serve the salad topped with feta chunks, the dried oregano and drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil if you wish.