I first tasted a version of this salad in 1990, when my boss’s wife, who is from Vienna, brought a large container of it to my wedding reception, because she said it’s a traditional salad to serve at weddings and promises fertility. She was pouting when no one ate the salad. I thought “what did you expect, you brought Lentils to my wedding reception!” Fast forward nearly 20 years, and I had a chance to eat her salad again, and my tastes have matured to the point where I thought it was incredibly tasty. I became an instant convert. I updated and improved upon her recipe, and now, I am never without a container of this salad in my fridge. It lasts all week, holds up extremely well in lunches, and fortunately, did not make me fertile, which is a very good thing, because her recipe lasted longer than the marriage. AUSTRIAN LENTIL SALAD Base Salad 1 package of Trader Joe’s Steamed Lentils (from the refrigerated section) 1 package of Trader Joe’s Beluga Lentils (from the pasta section) 1/2 very finely diced red or white onion 1-2 very finely chopped whole carrots The zest of one lemon (use all the juice, below) Dressing The basic dressing is a lemon vinaigrette, but you should feel free to use your favorite oil & vinegar dressing, being certain to add mucho lemon zest and lemon juice to it, to create the unique flavor. Here is my tried and true method: 1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s Olive Oil 1/4 cup of Trader Joe’s Seasoned Rice Vinegar (sometimes I use a bit of rice vinegar, and a bit of cider vinegar, when I want it tarter) 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 dollop of TJ’s Dijon Mustard The juice of 1 whole lemon Salt and Pepper to taste Combine all in a blender cup to emulsify, and set aside to chill. Method: In a bowl, break apart a package of TJ’s chilled, steamed, fully-cooked lentils, and seperate them until they are loose. Open and stir in one package of Beluga Lentils, and toss to combine. Add very finely diced onions and carrots, and toss to combine. You want to be sure the veggies are quite small (not ground, but small enough to be harmonious with the lentils and disburse evenly — no big chunks here). With a zester, add the zest from an entire lemon (keep the lemon and juice it for the dressing). Toss to combine, and dress the salad with the chilled lemon vinaigrette, toss again thoroughly, adjust seasonings to taste, and serve chilled. This salad requires no cooking, keeps all week, makes a wonderful, healthy, high protein, high fiber lunch. If I worked at a TJ’s, I would make this easy dish and demonstrate it, to convert people to the wonder of lemony lentils as a salad.
