I prefer using French lentils here, but any kind will do. You can use leftover cooked lentils, but if they are refrigerator-cold, heat them and let them absorb the flavors. I like to eat this salad slightly warm, or at least at room temperature.
Ingredients
Cooked lentils (see page 203)
Salt
6 roasted garlic cloves (page 143)
3 or 4 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
3 or 4 small chunks goat cheese
Dressing
1 roasted garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Garnish
A few black olives
Preparation
Put the cooked lentils into a bowl, and season with salt. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the lentils, mix well, and fold in the parsley, scallions, and goat cheese. For the dressing, mash the garlic, and mix it with the salt, vinegar, and olive oil. Pour the dressing over the warm salad, using as much as you like. Garnish with a few black olives.
The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. Copyright © 2009 by Judith Jones. Published by Knopf. All Rights Reserved.
Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food and the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of three books: The Book of Bread; Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!; and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, and has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New York City and Vermont.
