I must apologize, we were away for a couple of days after Christmas so I haven’t been as attentive with responding to comments and commenting; thanks for understanding.
This salad has become a staple in our home and would have been a great alternative to the Paella for our progressive dinner. I had trouble finding the authentic Lentilles du Puy until I spotted them in our Superstore for a fraction of the cost, but they are from Alberta! I read that the soil conditions are similar to that of Du Puys in France, 500g for about $2.75. I have yet to taste them to compare to the French lentils, but as soon as I do, I will update this post.
You have Charles at Five Euro Food to thank for this post. On my last entry for Lentilles du Puy, he mentioned he goes for lunch to a small bistro and they serve this salad with a poached egg on top. Here is his comment verbatim, it was so inspiring: “Hi Eva, this is one of my absolute favourite lentil dishes – the place I eat it serves it with small cubes of raw carrot which provide a lovely texture and… the pièce de résistance on top… a soft poached egg. Seriously, you HAVE to try that. Cracking open the egg so the yolk runs out over the lentils… it’s so lovely!” Of course, you just knew I HAD to have it. And at a risk of making JT SICK TO DEATH of this salad, I made it again (Luv you JT). Unfortunately, the photos are at night so they are crap, but you can certainly see the most deliciousness of the cracked yolk flowing over the lentils…it was very delicious and highly recommended.
PS. This time, I even added the small cubes of carrot to be sure I had the same experience. Thanks again Charles.
Poached Egg on Lentilles du Puy Salad with a Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1 cup lentilles du Puy (French green lentils) picked over and rinsed
- 3 cups water (the original recipe has 6 cups but you have to drain the remaining water)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 pancetta slices, chopped (about 3-4 table spoons)
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 fresh flat-leafed parsley sprigs plus 1/2 cup leaves, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 carrot, finely diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 4-6 poached eggs
For vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard, or to taste
- 1-2 tbsp cup EVOO
- 1 bunch arugula, coarse stems discarded, washed well and spun dry
Directions:
- In a heavy saucepan render the pancetta to a crispy consistency. Remove pancetta and add the onions and sweat until transparent. Add the garlic, type and parsley sprigs (reserve the leaves). Cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the lentils and sauté for another minute, add the water all at once and simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in bells peppers and simmer mixture, covered, until lentils are tender, about 10 minutes. Lentils may be made 2 days ahead and kept covered and chilled. Reheat lentils before proceeding with recipe.
Directions for vinaigrette:
- Transfer 2 tablespoons lentil-cooking liquid to a medium bowl and whisk in vinegars, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk dressing until emulsified.
- Drain lentils (if required, I didn’t have to) well in a sieve and discard parsley sprigs. Toss lentils with chopped parsley and vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper.
- Just before serving, arrange arugula decoratively around salad, or serve without as is pictured below.
I’m not a fan of salads, but this looks pretty impressive, so I will have to try it. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Thanks Tudor and welcome back, the salad isn’t really a salad per say so you could definitely leave out the greens and just have the lentils with the poached egg, you will just love how the yolk becomes the sauce, it really is that good.
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What a fantastic salad Eva! I love poached eggs with spiced lentils the added herbs, pancetta, peppers, and vinaigrette round out the meal nicely! I’m adding this to my list of recipes I’d like to try in 2013!
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Thanks Amber, I hope you enjoy it. Try to find the actual Lentilles du Puy as they do make the salad. The poached egg is the icing on top! Happy New Year to you and your family.
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This really does look delicious, Eva. That poached egg really does “make” this dish. Charles’s suggestion was a good one, as you knew it woud be.
I hope you’re feeling better. No one likes to be ill over the Holidays. I know; I’m a bit under the weather myself. Thank heavens we can schedule posts in advance. Get well soon so you and JT can start your New Year off right!
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Thank you kindly John, I wish you good health too, it really does suck to be sick over the holidays. Hope you have a wonderful New Year, healthy, happy and prosperous!
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Hi Eva, this is an absolute favourite of mine too! Lovely and simple and tasty… bliss!
Wishing you a very happy new year, Claire x
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Thank you Claire, Happy New Year to you too! I love this salad, in fact, I’m having it for lunch right now!
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This is a terrific plate and I like that it’s always an inspiration to visit your spot on the net. It’s been so hot lately that all I want are salads.
Happy New Year, Eva!
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Happy New Year to you too, Maureen. I am very jealous of the heat you’re having, it’s rather chilly in our parts and I’m always freezing.
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Well it must be good if you make it repeatedly! I love using egg yolk as a creamy dressing-it’s so simple but does the trick perfectly! 😀
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It sure does, Lorraine and this salad compliments the egg flavour perfectly.
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This looks delicious. I love getting great ideas/inspiration from other bloggers.
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Thanks Greg, I find Katherine and your blog a plethora of inspiration, particularly the libations 😉
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Love all the components of this salad and could go for it right now! Hope this has some healing powers for you, Eva!
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Thanks Betsy, it sure makes me feel good, and that’s half the battle.
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Eva, I love absolutely everything with poached/fried runny egg on top, so this salad looks fabulous to me. Have you tried “normal” salad with some cold meat and a fried or poached egg on top? I prepare it all summer long (it’s quite popular in simple French restaurants).
This is me who should apologize… I see you have been quite busy posting while I was completely absent. I hope you have spent lovely Christmas.
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Thanks Sissi, I’ve also made an incredible smoked salmon with endive and a poached egg on top, it really is divine!
Christmas is for relaxing, so don’t feel bad. I confess that I’ve banked up quite a few posts and have timed them for release. I’ve had my feet up too!
Christmas was a bit odd this year as my brother’s family, with whom we celebrate Christmas Eve all came down with a stomach flu so Christmas Eve was cancelled. JT and I stayed in and had a quite celebration ourselves.
I had a bit of the bug yesterday and am still not 100%. We have reservations at our favourite French restaurant tonight, so I hope I can make it otherwise we lose our deposit!
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I hope you will feel better soon! (Since I have already read that you went to your French restaurant, I guess you do feel better!).
I have some dishes photographed in advance, but somehow not a single one fitted the festive period…
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Thank you Sissi, yes the bug seemed to be a 24 hour thing, I still have the sniffles but they are manageable. We had a lovely time at our French restaurant. I am looking forward to 2013 blogging.
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Arugula, lentils and a poached egg … healthy, tangy and creamy goodness all in one elegant package. I don’t know how you do this day after day. 🙂
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Oh! Look at that yolk running over the salad! Great suggestion by Charles and awesome that you pulled it off for us. 🙂 Mmmmmm. Either version would be delicious I think.
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