French Lentil Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette

An earthy, zesty, spicy salad makes a hearty lunch topped with a soft boiled egg or a dollop of plain greek yogurt.

French Lentil Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Cook Time: About 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup French green lentils

1 medium butternut squash or garnet yam, diced

1 medium Preserved Lemon, rinsed and diced

1 Thai red chili

1 bunch cilantro, minced

2 limes

1 TB kosher salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

2 TB extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Toss the squash (or yam) with 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1 TB olive oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes until browning around the edges and tender.

2. While squash is cooking, soak the lentils. Soaking the lentils, even for 15 minutes makes them infinitely more digestible and cooks quicker and more evenly. Place 1 cup of lentils in the pot you intend to cook them in and cover with 2-inches of cold water. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

3. Rinse the preserved lemon and remove the seeds and inner flesh. Mince the lemon rind and the red chili, removing seeds if you’re sensitive to heat. Otherwise, add the whole chili to the bowl. Chili adds an important kick to the earthy lentils. Zest and juice the lime and add it to the bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Whisk everything to combine. When the squash is cooked and cooled, add it to the bowl with the dressing. 

4. When the lentils have soaked for 15-20 minutes, turn the heat on high and bring to a boil. Remove the lid and continue cooking at a rapid simmer until lentils are tender but still have some bite, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the lentils with cool water. Add the lentils to the bowl with the other ingredients. Toss to coat, adjusting salt & pepper as needed. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Keep in the refrigerator, in a covered container for up to 1 week.