walton_eats

Adapted from a recipe by Mark Bittman. This recipe lends itself to infinite renditions. Use beans instead of lentils. Swap out veggies and/or use greens. Steam some of the veggies first. Clean out the produce drawer. Play. I think next time I'll add some roasted garlic to the dressing.



1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp sherry vinegar
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp water
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups cooked green lentils*
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 large tomatoes, chopped (Bittman calls for peeled and seeded, but I don't bother)
1 large cucumber, chopped (I use English cucumbers, so retain the skin and the seeds)
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped celery
4 sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp dried dill or 1/4 cup fresh chopped (I used Penzey's dried)


Combine the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and water in a large bowl. Whisk well. Add all the rest of the ingredients** and fold together until well combined and everything is coated in the dressing. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Best served at room temperature, but awfully good cold, too.

*For 4 cups of cooked green lentils, I measured 2 cups of green lentils into 4 cups of vegetable stock (you can use water, or chicken stock, or whatever liquid that moves you, just withhold any salt as that can make the lentils tough). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat until barely simmering. Simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes until lentils are tender. I tend towards al dente, but the beauty of green lentils is that they can be cooked a bit more without becoming mushy. Once they are done to your liking, drain, then give them a quick rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, but you want them to still be warm. Yeah, I know, I cooked them in veggie stock - they do retain some of that flavor even when rinsed, and I keep the cooking liquid for use in soup, so no harm, no foul. **Anyway, add the lentils to the bowl while still warm and toss with the dressing, and let them sit for ten minutes or so so they can absorb some of the flavor. Then add the rest of the ingredients.

x-posted to klwalton

In my Planet Organics box this week I got some exquisite baby romaine and some really nice mesclun mix, some gorgeous green onion, some red onion, and a big and beautiful red bell pepper. So dinner tonight was a salad made with the following:

Cold leftover chicken breast, chopped
Hass avocado, sliced (so cheap and so plentiful lately!)
Tomatoes from my garden, peeled and chopped (this part of the harvest seems to be producing tomatoes with tougher skins)
English cucumber, sliced
Green onion, minced
Red bell pepper, chopped
Red onion, finely chpped
Mesclun mix
Baby romaine, chopped
Candied pecans, whole (from Trader Joe's - *so* good)
Fuji apple, chopped
Hard boiled eggs, chopped
Roasted asparagus, laid on top of each serving
Homemade croutons (ciabatta, cubed and toasted with garlic-infused olive oil)
Homemade 1000 Island dressing (mayo, chili sauce, a bit of sweet pickle relish, minced sweet onion, a bit of salt)

All it really needed was a bit of bacon, but I was woefully short of that commodity tonight. Must remedy that situation.

Served with garlic bread left over from the lasagna feed the other night, and a bottle of Bonny Doon Pacific Dry Riesling. I made a ton (I can't seem to *do* less than six servings of *anything*) and it was just Tim and Danny and myself, but the boys wolfed down two helpings and there isn't a smidgen left.

My cooking philosophy, for the most part, is "keep it simple". I tend to stay away from the idea of gilding the lily. Often, when it comes to food, especially when made with fresh, wonderful ingredients, I find that less is more.

Then there's my curried chicken salad.

I find that I just keep adding stuff to it. I can't help myself :).

So, my curried chicken salad. Measurements are vague to non-existent.

I baked six boneless, skinless, chicken breasts for about 40 minutes. If you want to poach them, you can do that instead. After they cooled to room temperature, I chopped them up and tossed them in a big bowl. I chopped three ribs of celery and two Granny Smith apples and added them into the bowl. Next came three green onions, thinly sliced, a handful of dried cranberries and a handful of desiccated coconut (dried, unsweetened). A handful of slivered, toasted almonds, a bunch of seedless grapes (red, green or black - whatever you fancy) cut in half, and some minced yellow onion (half of a small one) followed.

The dressing:
Enough mayonnaise to bind the solid ingredients, a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a good squeeze of honey (or a tablespoon or two, if you don't have a squeeze bottle), kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and a couple tablespoons of sweet curry powder (I use a combination of Penzeys Sweet Curry Powder and Penzeys Maharajah Curry Powder - about a 3:1 ratio), the curry powder toasted in a dry saute pan until fragrant. Mix together and let stand for a few minutes. Fold into the solid ingredients.

Chill for a few hours, until cold and flavors blend and mellow.

The first Insalata Caprese of the summer.



So good.