Week 120:
RECIPE OF THE WEEK FROM HIGHFIELD HALL & GARDENS STAFF, GAIL BLAKELY
A very nice change from the usual pasta salad…it gets better as it sits, so I would suggest adding basil only to what you are serving at the moment. Celebrate the end of summer with this delicious dish!
Lentil Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 cup (3 ounces) dried green lentils
- 1/2 cup (3 ounces) Israeli or pearl couscous
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 Persian or mini cucumbers, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 4 ounces feta, crumbled
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils and cook for 10 minutes. Add the couscous, stir to combine and cook until both the lentils and couscous are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
- While the lentils and couscous cook, in a fine-mesh strainer, toss together the tomatoes and cucumbers with 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Let them drain in the sink.
- In a small bowl, combine the shallot and vinegar with a pinch of salt. When the couscous and lentils are just about done, shake the tomatoes and cucumbers to rid them of excess liquid, then transfer them to a large bowl.
- Drain the lentils and couscous in the same strainer, and add them to the tomatoes and cucumbers.
- Drizzle with the olive oil. Using a spoon, scoop the shallot out of the vinegar and add it to the large bowl. Stir to combine, then add the olives and feta.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of the vinegar used on shallot, if desired.
- Stir in the basil and serve family-style.