Lentil Salad with Grilled Grapes
This protein-packed herbaceous lentil salad is absolutely delicious and makes great use of those fantastic grilled grapes we mentioned a few weeks ago. We came up with it as a side dish for the Chicken Kebobs with Lemon Olive Gremolata we shared last week, but it is a very versatile dish. Serve atop arugula or mixed greens for added nutrition and freshness or add your favorite protein and you have a complete meal. This salad can be made ahead, is perfect for picnics and potlucks, and can easily be made vegetarian as well. Simply omit the pancetta – we recommend adding chopped smokehouse almonds in its place.
It pairs really nicely with our Reverence grenache blend if you are wanting a red, but the combination of this salad and our Winemaker’s Select Rosé is out-of-the-stratosphere amazing!
NOTE: This is recipe two in a three-part series. While each can be enjoyed individually, all three served together would make for an epic end of summer party!
Recipe 1: Chicken Kebobs with Lemon Olive Gremolata
Recipe 3: Summer Veggies & Burrata Stuffed Peppers with Rustic Croutons
Lentil Salad with Grilled Grapes
Recipe by Tanya Miller, inspired by Milkstreet’s Garlicky Lentil and Parsley Salad
Serves: 4
Recommended Wine Pairing: 2020 Winemaker’s Select Rosé or 2019 Reverence
INGREDIENTS:
- 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp clove
- 1 c dried beluga or French green lentils (they hold their shape better than regular lentils and have a lovely texture and appearance)
- 2 1/2 c water
- ¼ c lemon juice
- ~ 2 medium shallots or 1/4-1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- ~½ bunch flat-leaf Italian parsley, roughly destemmed
- ~ 2 oz goat cheese
- ~ 1 cup grilled grapes (Grill grapes according to instructions in Grilled Grapes with Goat Cheese recipe)
- Kosher salt
- Garnish: 3 Tbsp chopped chives, sprinkle of Aleppo pepper (smoked if possible) and flaky sea salt, if desired
- Optional: 1 pkg pancetta, ideally cooked on BBQ or grill pan (see note at bottom) or 1/2 c smokehouse almonds, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a pan, combine smashed garlic and 2 Tbsp olive oil on low heat. Cook, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and fragrant.
- Add cumin, cloves and ½ tsp salt. Stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Remove garlic and set aside to use for dressing later. Add lentils to the same pan and stir until well combined.
- Add water, stir, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender but still holds its shape – approx 30 minutes.
- While the lentils cook, combine the shallots or red onion and lemon juice (to mellow the onion flavor) in a small bowl. Chop the parsley, slice the grilled grapes in half, and chop chives, if using.
- When the lentils are done, drain and set aside to cool. Gently toss a couple of times while cooling so they don’t clump together.
- For dressing: In a small food processor, add garlic from step 2, lemon juice from step 4 (not including shallot/onions), 3 Tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp salt. Blend until desired consistency.
- Gently toss lentils, shallots, grilled grapes, chopped parsley, goat cheese and dressing until well combined. This salad can be mostly made up to a day ahead – but do not add the pancetta or smokehouse almonds and chives (if using) until ready to serve. This salad is best served just slightly chilled – remove from fridge about an hour before eating if making ahead of time.
- Garnish with any of the following: Chives, sea salt, Aleppo pepper or chili flakes, pancetta or smokehouse almonds
- Serve and enjoy with a glass of Winemaker’s Select Rosé!
Note: For the pancetta, it’s not a must to grill it on a BBQ, but boy, does it add great flavor! We highly recommend you give it a try. Place pancetta on a heavy duty quarter sheet pan, cast iron, etc. on your cooking preference. Check every 5 min or so, turning as needed to desired doneness. Place on a cooling rack or paper towel-lined plate. Chop or break into pieces and sprinkle on top of salad when ready to serve.
