Lemony Lentil Nicoise

27 Apr Lemony Lentil Nicoise

Adopted from Mark Bittman (@bittman)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup dried lentils sorted and rinsed
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic
2 lemons
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of capers
¼ cup minced fresh chives
4 eggs
1 cup green beans, rinsed and trimmed

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Put the lentils in a medium pot and cover with water by 1 inch.
2.  Add the bay leaf and garlic and bringing to a boil.
3.  Cover and lower the heat until simmering.
4.  Cook the lentils for 20-30 minutes until they are soft but do not burst.
5.  Squeeze the juice from one lemon into a large bowl.
6.  Peel the other lemon and chop the segments roughly into small pieces, taking care to remove the seeds.  Add the lemon segments to the bowl along with olive oil, capers, and chives and sprinkle with pepper and a little bit of salt.
7.  While the lentils are cooking add the eggs to a small sauce pan and cover with cold water.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat and then cover, remove from heat, and let rest for 8 minutes to make just hard boiled eggs.
8.  Remove the eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon and dunk in cold ice water.
9.  Reheat the water from the egg pan to a boil and blanch the green beans for 2-3 minutes.  Remove the green beans and shock in cold ice water to retain their color and crispness.
10.  When the lentils are finished cooking, drain the water and stir the lentils into the large bowl and mix with the dressing.  Let the lentils rest 5-10 minutes.
11.  Serve the lentils in a bowl topped with the green beans and hard boiled eggs.