As the temperatures warm up we crave cool, harmonious salads. This one, lentils, sour cherries, bacon & blue cheese, is light and luscious! This recipe is nothing new in the cooking repertory, and many have interpreted it over the past 10 years. It gets consistent five-star ratings… but why is it so satisfying and what makes it “work?”
I think the “five stars” is earned through the gustatory synchronicity that exists among the five basic tastes in this recipe: sweet and sour tart cherries, the savory, nutty lentils, the bitterness of the fresh spinach and Mediterranean background music of bay leaves, the crispy bacon that pings our umami receptors (umami is Japanese and describes “a pleasant, savory taste”) and the salty sharpness of your favorite blue cheese to bring it home. It is one of Food for the Ages favorites and we are sure it will become one of your family’s favorites. It’s a salad, side dish, entree and dessert, all rolled into one. And that explains its undeniable popularity.
The lentils in this recipe add weight and protein and are wonderful sponges for the flavor of the bay leaves, shallots sauteed until golden in olive oil, red wine vinegar, tart cherries. They also provide important amino acids, folates, protein, minerals, fiber, potassium and vitamins that make it one of nature’s most nutritious foods. So not only is this recipe, lentils, sour cherries, bacon & blue cheese, delicious, it is good for you. And it is low in carbs.
We have interpreted this recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi’s The Cookbook, which was published in 2008. I just discovered him a couple summers ago and I’m so glad I did. He has made my cooking life fresher and more delicious. Ottolenghi is a master chef and London restaurateur with roots in Israel/Palestine and in all foods that are raw and delicious and laden with garlic and lemon. Over the last eight years he has become a food celebrity and has parlayed his recipes, name and reputation into a successful branded line of merchandise including cookbooks, foods, linens and 5 successful restaurants in London. Close your eyes and take a bite of this lentils, sour cherries, bacon & blue cheese salad and you’ll be transported to his elegant restaurants.
Lentils, sour cherries, bacon & blue cheese
Serves 2 to 4 as a starter
- 2/3 cup green lentils
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 or 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil,
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
- 1/2 cup sour dried cherries
- 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 6 slices thick bacon or 8 slices thin
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- 4 ounces English Stilton Blue Cheese or your favorite blue
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Wash lentils and drain. Place in saucepan and add bay leaves and enough water to cover them 3 times their height. Bring to a boil then simmer 20 minutes until they are al dente.
2. To make the sauce, place shallots in a saute pan with olive oil and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes until golden. Add the vinegar, cherries, sugar and water and continue simmering over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes until you get a thick sauce. Taste and season lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Drain the lentils and add them to the sauce to soak up all the flavors. Stir together, taste and adjust seasoning. Remember you are adding bacon and blue cheese later, which are salty. Set aside to cool down.
4. Cook bacon until crisp. Move to paper towel to cool. Tear into large pieces and add to the lentils, then add the spinach and stir well.
5. Move to serving plates and dot with crumbled blue cheese.
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