Serves 4
100g puy lentils, rinsed
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 garlic clove, bashed (optional)
1 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g french beans, topped (no need to tail) and halved
250g cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
75g pitted black olives, sliced
For the dressing
2 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (ideally apple balsamic)
1 tsp english mustard
Quarter of a clove of garlic, crushed or finely grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Put the lentils in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add the bay leaf and garlic clove, if using. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for up to 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender but with a little nutty resistance. Keep an eye on them, and taste after about 12 minutes, as they can go from al dente to soft very quickly. Top up with more boiling water if necessary during cooking.
2 Drain the lentils. Discard the bay leaf and garlic. Toss with 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil and a little salt and pepper and set aside to cool completely.
Advertisement
3 Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Drop in the beans, time 3 minutes, then drain them in a colander. Run under cold water to stop the cooking and fix their bright green colour. Set aside to drain thoroughly.
4 Combine the lentils, beans, cherry tomatoes and olives in a large bowl.
5 Put the dressing ingredients in a jar, add a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper and shake to emulsify. Pour over the salad and toss well. Leave to stand for 10 minutes or so, then toss again. Serve the salad from the bowl or divide between individual plates, making sure the different elements are well distributed.
Recipe extracted from River Cottage Light & Easy: Healthy Recipes for Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, published by Bloomsbury on September 11 and available from the Times bookshop for £22.50 (RRP £25), free p&p, on 0845 2712134; timesbooks.co.uk