Thursday, June 14, 2012

Lentil salad

potatoes lentils.jpg
Eastside Road, June 14, 2012—
SALAD: SO SATSIFYINGLY VAGUE a word — it could be anything. A few leaves of arugula, some olive oil, lemon juice, salt. Or romaine, anchovies, garlic, raw egg. Slices of tomato, onion, and bell pepper — again, with oil, and lemon or vinegar, and salt.

I'm lazy just now; I won't look it up; but I'm certain the one essential ingredient, the one that gives salad its name, is salt. And how I love it, especially these hot dry windy days.

Tonight Lindsey turned to the New York Times for inspiration: this recipe by David Tanis, who was alternate chef to Jean-Pierre Moullé for years downstairs at Chez Panisse. As usual, the photo doesn't do it justice.

It's a delicious main-dish composed salad, not too heavy even for hot weather, lifted by the aromatics and the mustard. Lindsey used pancetta instead of bacon, and it worked fine. Let's have a second helping!

And then green salad, with some thick-leaved slightly bitter green lettuce from the garden, along with red oakleaf; and then half a green-fleshed honeydew (or was it Galia?) melon, first of the year. Very satisfying.
Cheap Nero d'Avola

No comments: