Warm Lentil Salad with Goat's Cheese and Beetroot

• 250gdried Puy lentils, rinsed
• 2garlic cloves, 1 bashed and 1 crushed
• 1bay leaf
• 250gcooked beetroot (vacuum-packed, not in vinegar), cut into wedges
• 60gwalnut halves, roughly broken
• 70grocket
• 15gflat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 125gsoft goat's cheese, crumbled
• fine salt
• black pepper
• 2shallots, finely chopped
• 2 tbspred wine vinegar
• 1 tbspDijon mustard
• 1 tsphoney
• 4 tbspextra virgin olive oil
• 4thick slices sourdough or crusty bread

Method

1. 1Put the lentils in a saucepan with the bashed garlic clove, the bay leaf and 800ml of cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer with the lid off for 20 to 25 minutes until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape. Do not salt the water; it toughens the skins.
2. 2While the lentils cook, make the dressing in a bowl big enough to hold everything. Stir the shallots, crushed garlic, vinegar, mustard, honey and a good pinch of salt together and leave for 5 minutes until the vinegar has taken the raw edge off the shallot. Whisk in the olive oil.
3. 3Drain the lentils well and fish out the bay leaf and garlic clove. Tip them into the dressing while they are steaming hot and toss; warm lentils soak up dressing in a way cold ones never will. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper.
4. 4Fold in the beetroot and most of the parsley. The beetroot will stain the lentils pink in places, which is exactly what you want.
5. 5Add the rocket and toss once so it only just wilts in the residual heat. Taste: it should be sharp from the mustard and vinegar with the sweetness of the beetroot behind it, so add salt or another splash of vinegar if it is flat.
6. 6Pile onto plates and scatter over the goat's cheese, walnuts and the rest of the parsley. Serve warm with the sourdough, toasted if you like, to mop up the dressing.

Per serving

kcal

621

protein

28.9g

fibre

3.1g

carbs

56g

fat

33.3g