Recipe: Warm lentil and spinach salad with rosemary vinaigrette

Many, many years ago I remember eating a lentil dish at the Earle Restaurant on Washington in downtown Ann Arbor. It was deliciously simple, seasoned with balsamic vinegar and fresh rosemary. I’ve always loved it and often try recreating my memory of that recipe. This dish could very well have morphed into something quite different from that original lentil salad served at The Earle. The recipe, nevertheless, is delicious and brings back happy memories of the Rick Burgess Trio as background music to many a memorable meal.

Yield: 3 servings (3 cups of lentil-carrot salad)
Time: 25 minutes
Cost: Approx. $6.50

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils 
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons walnut oil 
• 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup diced carrots (2 medium-sized carrots) 
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 1 scant teaspoon fresh minced rosemary, plus additional sprigs for garnish
• 8 cups fresh spinach, stems trimmed and washed well

Directions

1. Rinse lentils and remove any visible small stones. In 4 cups salted water, bring lentils and bay leaf to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, with cover ajar, until desired tenderness is reached, 15-25 minutes.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the walnut oil in large sauté pan. Sauté carrots until just tender, about 3 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining walnut oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar and rosemary. Remove carrots from pan and toss with onion and cooked lentils in walnut vinaigrette. Season to taste with additional vinegar, if desired, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. In same pan, sauté spinach with a pinch of kosher salt, until just wilted, 1-2 minutes.
5. Serve lentils over wilted spinach and garnish, if desired, with rosemary sprigs.

 This recipe was written by Peggy Lampman and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on March 8, 2010.