Lentil Salad with Spring Greens, Asparagus, and a Soft Egg
Recipe adapted from Kimberley Hasslebrink
From the recipe author: “Aside from the charred lemon, this is a pretty straightforward bowl of food. That, and it might help to prepare the lentils ahead of time. I find that spring foods can feel and taste kind of cooling, which is why I sautéed the radishes in butter; it warms them and softens their bite, and they are a new thing entirely. It’s my favorite thing to do with radishes. Use up your old veggies in the water that the lentils cook in; those tired carrots and wilted celery are redeemed this way.”
If you’re on the fence about this recipe, check out the photo, it’ll win you over!
For the lentils:
1 cup green or puy lentils, rinsed
Optional aromatics: 1 carrot, roughly chopped; 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped; thyme or parsley leaves; 1 bay leaf; 1 dried chili or chile flakes
For the salad:
2 or 4 eggs (depending on how many you’d like on your salad)
2 Tablespoons butter, ghee, or coconut oil
1/2 pound asparagus, sliced on the diagonal
1 bunch radishes or hakurei turnips, rinsed and halved lengthwise if small, quartered if large, if using daikon radish, dice to match the side of radishes
1 lemon, halved
8 cups mixed greens
Small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Small handful of fresh chives, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Flaky sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
In a large pot, add the lentils and aromatics, and cover by about two inches with water. Bring to a boil, covered, and reduce heat to low, simmering until lentils are soft and cooked through, about 45-60 minutes. Set aside to cool in their liquid.
For the eggs, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, add the eggs and set a timer for 7 minutes. (A little longer for a firmer yolk.) Remove the eggs and plunge into an ice bath to cool. Peel and set aside.
In the meanwhile, heat a large grill pan or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter, and let it melt and get frothy. Add the asparagus, radishes or turnips, and lemon halves and sauté without disturbing to brown them a little. Toss and stir as needed to evenly cook.
To make the salad, combine 2 cups of cooked, drained lentils with the salad greens and fresh herbs. Add a generous glug of olive oil and vinegar and toss. Top each salad with half of the radishes and asparagus, and one half of each lemon. Finish with a generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and a squeeze of the lemon.
