Warm Lentil Salad (Salade Tiède aux Lentilles)

Last week, while preparing the Friday Far Breton post, my old recipe book reminded me I used to cook French much more often at the time I discovered this pudding. Leafing through the stained pages I stumbled upon the Warm Lentil Salad, my beloved lentil dish I haven’t had for ages. I still remember the first time I tasted this salad, in a traditional French restaurant and was very surprised by the enthusiasm of the friend I lunched with. When her salad finally arrived and I tasted it, I instantly regretted having taken a different starter. It was a simple, typically bistrot style preparation of warm lentils and vinaigrette, but the taste was astonishing.

The Warm Lentil Salad  is usually served as a starter (at home I prefer it as a side dish), sometimes alone, sometimes sprinkled with fried bacon and sometimes with foie gras terrine. You might be surprised by the latter version, but actually the humble lentil is an ideal company for foie gras and if you ever go to France, this pairing is quite frequent in Lyon restaurants. Even served alone the salad is certainly hearty and filling, but probably thanks to the vinaigratte it feels much lighter than any lentil dish I know.

TIPS: This salad can be made with freshly cooked lentils,  but it’s also a very good way to use leftovers, warm them in the microwave and then combine with the vinaigrette sauce. The lentils can also be cooked the day before and warmed just before being served with the vinaigrette.

Preparation: 40- 50 minutes depending on the lentils

Ingredients (serves two – three):

250 g firm, dark green or brown lentils (the best here are the French lentilles de Puy) or 500 g cooked lentils (in this case skip the stock, bay leaf and thyme)

1 liter chicken or vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1 heaped teaspoon thyme

Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons vinegar (or more)

1 tablespoon French mustard

salt, pepper

Cook the lentils in the stock with bay leaf and thyme. When they are soft, but not mushy, drain them.

Put the warm lentils in a big bowl and combine with the vinaigrette. Taste and adjust the taste.

Serve immediately as a starter or a side dish.

 

 

 

41 Replies to “Warm Lentil Salad (Salade Tiède aux Lentilles)”

  1. I love lentils, never had it this way. I’ve had cold lentil salad but the dressing was different and its probably much nicer served warm. I will try for sure soon.
    Sometimes we forget about delicious simple dishes. I am having chicken soup for lunch, I’d forgotten about chicken soup until recently I got a reminder from a blog:)

    1. Thank you, Mr. Three-Cookies. I am very happy mu humble chicken and potato stew reminded you of another simple soup you like 🙂

      1. Hi Sissi, I made this just now. Small type in the first line of ingredients. It says “250 firm”:) I think it will take a long time to count, its easier to use cups or a scale:)

        1. Hi, Mr. Three-Cookies. It’s so nice to hear that! I hope you have enjoyed it! Thanks for the correction. You are right. Grams might be easier to measure 😉

    1. Thank you, Karen. I also like to add for example parsley. Unfortunately all my herbs on the balcony have died, but luckily I had some green onion in the fridge.

  2. “the taste was astonishing” – I’m in :).

    I always say, you can’t beat a traditional French vinaigrette (and I love that it’s weighted towards vinegar – more on that to come in a future post). Funny enough, I don’t think I’ve ever had a warm lentil salad before… I does sound pretty divine. Thank you for this idea Sissi – love the simplicity of preparation too.

    On an entirely different note, I was thinking of you last night… My husband and I finally made it to ‘Le Kim Chi’ Korean restaurant for Valentine’s Day. We enjoyed 3 different Kim Chi preparations – dumplings; pancakes and in the raw (very hot!). I enjoyed them all but was particularly delighted with the pancakes – delish :).

    1. Thank you, Kelly. My vinaigrette is always more vinegar-oriented than the classical version. Especially when I use balsamic or other delicate vinegar. Your Korean restaurant sounds excellent! I am very happy you like the kimchi trio. The pancakes sound very intriguing. I must see if I find a nice recipe. Thank you for thinking of me 🙂

  3. Sissi, I have only tasted lentils once so far in my life, it was from an Armenian friend’s soup and it tasted good. Though I am not sure whether it’s due to Asian markets not selling them, or I’ve just not thought about looking for them, I have yet to cook with them… Your Vinaigrette looks real good and simple, do you ever use the same ingredients on other types of salads?

    1. Thanks, Jeno. This is the most basic French vinaigrette. As Kelly noticed, I add more vinegar than oil (it’s the other way round but I prefer not to exaggerate with oil too much). Sometimes I substitute mustard with crushed garlic too. (Some people put both garlic and mustard, but I prefer either garlic or mustard). I make these whenever I want a European-style salad dressing, but when I want an Asian salad, I make it with soy sauce and sesame seeds (http://www.withaglass.com/?p=4063). It’s funny because it’s an old post, but I think I have seen a similar dressing on Nami’s blog! (I was very happy I invented something so similar to the Japanese dressing!).

  4. This sounds just perfect! I know I have some lentils in the pantry plus plenty of fresh thyme! I keep slim by only eating a dessert now and then, and focusing on healthier snacks and meals. And lots of exercise doesn’t hurt when I do indulge 🙂

    1. Thank you so much, Liz. Thank you for the “keeping slim” tips 🙂 I am a real glutton when it comes to certain sweet dishes (I think most of my far breton finished in my stomach and hips 😉 ) and too lazy to exercise. I think I should make a goog new year’s resolution (or two!). Thanks once more for the answer!

  5. Hi Sissi! I just read Cindy’s (Geno’s) comment and thought the same it’s not very common ingredients in at least Chinese and Japanese cooking. I don’t see any recipes with lentils. I wonder why. In fact, I only learned about lentils after I came here, so I checked dictionary and see what was Japanese word for that..and it said レンティル…lol. I think that tells this is really foreign ingredient for us Japanese. I only eat lentils outside home but it must be nice to cook at home one day. And I’ll remember about the combination of lentils and foie gras terrine. Sounds like I need to try that next time I have a chance. 🙂

    1. Haha! Even though my knowledge of katakana is very limited I have recognised it’s not kanji too 🙂 (I’m secretly proud of myself whenever I make a small step in Japanese).
      Lentils (not only this type) are widely used in Indian cuisine, so I think you can find lots of them in Indian shops (if you have Indian shops around). If one day you buy lentils, do cook them. They are my beloved dry vegetables because contrary to most beans, peas etc. they do not need any soaking and cook very quickly and easily.
      Served warm (cooked in chicken stock) they are excellent with all types of sausages or grilled pork…

  6. You know, Sissi, the only times I’ve had lentils are always in Indian dishes. Either in a curry or in a cutlet … both Indian styled. This is a nice change, so simple, yet so amazingly good. Certainly much more refreshing with the vinaigrette.

    1. Thank you, Ping. I know, they use a lot of different lentils, but they are usually soaked in greasy, thick sauces or in deep fried appetisers (from my experience). This simple salad is not only tasty, but also healthy 🙂

  7. Dear Sissi,

    This looks like a relatively easy recipe and something I would like to have for lunch if I have had a good gym work out in the morning.

    I usually only eat lentils in an Indian dahl or vegetable curry so your recipe is something different.

  8. Hi Sissi,

    I’m really happy to see this recipe – we’ve moved to a new office now, but in our old office, that store nearby (the one which sold savoury cakes… remember?) also sold a version of this salad, and it was one of the most enjoyable things in there. I think they might have put some grated carrot in the salad too, but with or without is fine – they served it with a poached egg on top – I remember eating it a lot, and I really enjoy it. It’s so good to see your version! By the way – when you say “French” mustard, do you mean dijon?

    1. Thank you, Charles. I remember very well the shop you talk about. I hope you have some other nice lunch options now 🙂
      I don’t think all the French mustard is produced in Dijon… I meant by French mustard, just mustard made in France, for example not the English mustard, which is a bit different in taste (at least the one I have tasted).

      1. Ah, I see – yeah – English mustard is definitely quite different, although it seems like all the mustard I see here is always “moutarde de dijon”, and occasionally some wholegrain mustard etc… I shall have another look next time because I have long been complaining about the fact that the only possible mustard it seems possible to buy here is dijon!

        1. Charles, but they produce also whole grain mustard in Dijon I think… I suppose they produce lots of different mustards. It’s the most famous mustard producing city in France (or maybe in the world?). On the other hand the only brands of mustard I like are from Dijon…

          1. Nooooo, Sissi – say it isn’t so! You can’t beat crusty, wholegrain bread, thinly sliced roast beef or ham, a slather of “Colman’s” English yellow mustard, some strong cheddar cheese, a sliced tomato and some lettuce for an excellent sandwich!

            I can see that if you ever visit me I’ll have to give you a gift box of “English condiments”, lol 😀

            1. Haha!!! Charles, I would never dare comparing French and English mustard because they are so different! It’s like comparing Roquefort and Stilton (between us, I prefer Stilton but don’t tell my family!). I was talking about my favourite mustard brands only among the French mustards. What is more I use it mainly for sauces… I can imagine how delicious your sandwich is… You are so sweet! Thank you for thinking about my English food education. I must visit Paris soon then. Will there be also the excellent English black pudding in the box??? 😉 (Just joking!)
              Jokes apart, have you ever tasted something called Savora? It’s very interesting… The only mustard-like French product different from most mustards. I prefer mustard, but I like to have both sometimes. (It’s very popular and sold just next to mustards in a slightly square jar with a red lid I think).

  9. I always associate lentils with Indian food, I don’t know why, it just never sounded very french to me! Salade Tiède aux Lentilles does though, that’s for sure haha. love how simple this is, i can even make this tomorrow!

  10. I love lentils and they are so good for you. This is a great salad and I agree, that dressing would be so wonderful with the lentils and would give the dish a good lift.

  11. We’ve just started adding lentils to salads in the last few years. I know, makes us sound behind the times. But we used to just eat them in soup. This looks wonderful.

    1. Thank you so much, Greg. I’m not sure if it makes you behind the times because I had my first lentil dish maybe when I was nineteen…

    1. Thank you very much, Eva. It’s a very basic salad. I had it first in a traditional French restaurant and couldn’t stop myself from eating it (they served it in a huuuuge bowl). I think I preferred it from the meat which came afterwards as the main course 😉

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