Lentils Du Puy and Bacon Salad

DeeCooks's Note:

French green lentils, or lentils du Puy make a great main dish salad with the smoky taste of bacon. I've been making this forever and have no idea where I got the recipe. The amounts are estimated, but more or less what I use. (Prep/cooking is estimated too, but it takes less than an hour...) This is one of my favorite summer dinners with some good garlic bread and a chilled glass of wine. When I have great tomatoes, I slice them and serve the salad on top. It makes a nice side dish and is also very portable for picnics and beach dinners.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 4.0 main co ...

• 8 slices bacon
• 1 small onion , large dice
• ½ cup carrot , diced
• 6 cups water
• 1 lb lentils , du puy rinsed, drained
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar or ¼ cup sherry wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ½ cup red onion , chopped
• ½ cup celery , chopped
• ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley , chopped

Directions:

1. Cook 6 slices bacon in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels, crumble. Drain off all but about three tablespoons of bacon fat.Add onion to drippings; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add 6 cups water, lentils, remaining 2 slices of bacon, and thyme to the bacon fat and onion. Bring to boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. After about 20 minutes, add carrots and continue to cook until lentils are tender, about 10 more minutes.
3. Drain lentils, let cool.
4. Whisk oil, red wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard in bowl to blend.
5. Add lentils, red onion, celery, bacon, and parsley. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Reviews

[bluemoon downunder]

A wonderfully delicious salad with very clear instructions. I made a few small changes to meet my taste preferences: I used two medium-sized onions and added three cloves of minced garlic in step two, and used only 11/2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. A great blend of flavours and textures which my luncheon guests and I really enjoyed. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

[mersaydees]

This is a stellar salad! The only change I made was to use extra virgin olive oil, a splurge I usually make for salads, and well worth it in this case. I cannot sing enough praises for this salad. Thanks, DeeCooks! Made for 123 Hit Wonders Tag.

[evelyn/athens]

This recipe can't be faulted in any way - it is simply sensational. Well-written and easy to make. We got a very flavourful salad which was enjoyed by the entire family.