Broccoli Lentil Salad with Anchovy Salad Dressing
Lentil salad with broccoli and lemon anchovy dressing is a flavor-packed dish hearty enough to be served as a main course over rice or barley. It also pairs wonderfully with chicken and fish. This recipe is an adaptation of a Tasy Warm Lentil Salad recipe on page 37 of Jamie Oliver's book 5 Ingredients: Quick & Easy Food. I love this book for simple ways to make flavorful meals. My adaptation below has a few alterations in ingredients and some ideas for using it for a week of meal prep.
Ingredients
- 2 cups for cooked lentils
- 1 head of broccoli or 2 cups of florets
- 2 jalapenos peppers
- 1 shallot sliced
- Unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 preserved lemons
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons anchovy paste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
- Drain in a calendar and transfer to a bowl with ice and cold water.
- Let the broccoli thoroughly cook for 5 minutes.
- Add about 3 cups of water and 1 cup of French green lentils in a large saucepan.
- Adding a bay leaf, an onion cut in half, and a clove of garlic to add flavor to the lentils.
- Bring the water and lentils to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook on low for 20-30 minutes or until tender.
- Drain the water (or broth) from the lentils and set them aside until they come to room temperature before mixing them into the salad.
- Discard the bay leaf, half onion, and garlic.
- Prepping the Preserve lemon:
- Scrape the interior flesh of the lemon, discard, and finely chop the preserved lemon peel.
- Make the dressing:
- Combine anchovy paste, olive oil, and lemon juice. (if you are not using preserved lemons, add ½ teaspoon of salt)
- Make the salad:
- Combine the cooked lentils, blanched broccoli, chopped jalapenos, chopped preserved lemon peel (or lemon zest), chopped red onion, and anchovy lemon dressing.
Notes
- The key to blanched broccoli is stopping the cooking process with an ice bath. So make sure you have some ice in the freezer.
- Unlike quinoa or rice, you do not need an exact water-to-lentil ratio. Think more like you’re cooking pasta. You just need significantly more water than lentils. You can also use broth to add an extra layer of flavor.
- Do not salt the lentils before cooking! They will become tough and less appetizing.
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