Who is your best friend? This was the question posed by the Children’s Worker at church last week. Unfortunately he came unstuck as the first reply, shouted out by a 4-year old, was Jesus. This scuppered the lead up he expected: maybe ‘my teddy bear’, ‘my sister’, my dad’. Something like that.
Faith and family aside, I mostly think that my best friends are my Ottolenghi cookbooks. Consistently, these are the books I refer to when I want to use an ingredient I have either newly discovered, or sadly one that has been languishing in the cupboards/ fridge for far too long. This recipe is based on one from the NOPI cookbook (Lentil and pickled shallot salad with berbere croutons). The recipe is available here in a Guardian cookery article. My adaptation, making use of what I had at hand, is below.
We should all be eating more vegetables, but I rarely include pulses in that definition. When I was young, and still living at home in Kuala Lumpur, dried beans were what my mother threw in the soup with pork ribs. I associate beans with a lengthy cooking time. This has been my experience, with the added shame of having minimum success even with a pressure cooker.
I am in the process of clearing out my cupboards and there are several bottles of dried beans. Separated from their packaging, I have no idea of their date of expiry. I think they last forever.
Last week I took the step to just buy a packet of ready cooked lentils. Most Chinese people don’t do this because it is always cheaper to cook the lentils/ beans yourself. I also used ready prepared artichokes. Instead of keeping an eye on cooking the lentils and artichokes, I used the time to visit an elderly neighbour and to take her for a walk in the park.
The lentils are from Merchant Gourmet and there are other types of lentils to choose from. For ready-cooked beans I mostly use Brindisa or The Bold Bean Company, although tinned beans are very good too.
For this recipe, you can use a bottle of artichokes in oil, or roast some tinned artichokes (see previous recipe)
The recipe calls for pickled shallots which you fast-track by roasting the shallots in oil for 12 minutes, then adding sherry vinegar. You can make this ahead of time or use some ready-pickled red onions/ shallots.
For the Salad:
1 packet ready cooked Beluga lentils (250 g)
1 bottle (280 g) sliced artichoke hearts in oil, drained
OR
1 tin artichoke hearts, drained and roasted (see previous recipe)
150 g shallots or red onion, thinly sliced
3½ tablespoons olive oil (1½ + 2 tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon Valdespino sherry vinegar (or another good-quality sherry vinegar)
100g crustless sourdough bread, roughly torn into 2 cm pieces
1 teaspoon berbere spice (or ¾ teaspoon hot smoked paprika)
15 g coriander or parsley leaves, picked whole or roughly chopped
½ red or green chilli, sliced
For the Dressing:
1 tablespoon Valdespino sherry vinegar (or another good-quality sherry vinegar)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1½ teaspoons orange blossom honey (or another floral variety)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt and a good grind of black pepper
How to Make:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan.
Place the shallots in a mixing bowl with 1½ tablespoons of oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Spread them out on a parchment-lined tray/ non-stick tray and roast in the oven for about 12 minutes, until they are soft but have not taken on any colour. Remove from the oven, pour over the sherry vinegar, mix well and set aside to cool.
(If you are using ready-pickled red onions/ shallots, use 50 g as these pickles are not as soft).
Place the sourdough pieces in a small mixing bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the berbere spice. Mix well, spread out on a parchment-lined tray/ non-stick tray and roast for 12–15 minutes, until crusty and light golden-brown. Set aside to cool.
Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Just before serving, place the lentils, artichokes, pickled shallots, parsley/ coriander and chilli in a large bowl with half the croutons.
Pour over the dressing, mix well to combine and transfer to a large platter. Serve the remaining croutons on the side.
I served the lentils with otto’s beetroot and croutons on the side
My new cookbook, because I should eat all types of pulses and not just green peas:
Pulse: Modern recipes with beans, peas & lentils by Eleanor Maidment, published by Ryland Peters and Small, ISBN 978-1788796750.