Lentils With Roasted Beets And Carrots Food

LENTIL SALAD WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place vegetables in one layer on one or two large rimmed baking pans, toss with olive oil and salt. Place thyme and rosemary on top of vegetables, cover pans with foil and roast for 25 minutes. Remove foil, stir in bacon and bake for 30 to 40 minutes longer, until vegetables are tender and golden all over.
• In a large pot, combine lentils, 6 cups water, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until lentils are tender.
• In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard and salt. Then whisk in olive oil.
• Drain lentils and discard bay leaf; keep or discard garlic as you like. Toss lentils with half of the sherry vinaigrette while still warm. Add more salt, olive oil and vinegar as needed.
• Toss radicchio with enough of remaining vinaigrette to lightly coat it and arrange it on a platter. Combine lentils and roasted vegetables, adding more of the vinaigrette to taste; spoon mixture on top of radicchio. Garnish with scallions, parsley, sea salt and black pepper. Squeeze tangerine juice over the lentils and drizzle with more olive oil if needed.

ROASTED BEET AND LENTIL DIP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F with 2 racks set in the middle. Stir together 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, thyme, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a 2-quart baking dish. Add the beets and stir to coat in the liquid. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the upper rack of the oven until the beets are fork-tender, about 1 hour, stirring the beets once halfway through the cooking time.
• Meanwhile, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast on the lower rack of the oven until slightly darkened in color and fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Finely chop 3 of the toasted walnuts and reserve for garnish.
• Remove the thyme from the baking dish and discard. Cool the beets and cooking liquid slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the beets, cooking liquid (along with the cooked garlic), whole toasted walnuts, lentils, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Season with the remaining 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar if desired.
• Transfer the dip to a small serving bowl and garnish with the reserved walnuts. Serve with pita chips and vegetables.

GREEN LENTILS WITH ROASTED BEETS AND PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Reserve 1 beet for garnish and cut the remaining 4 into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss the cubes with a teaspoon of oil, season with salt and pepper and bake 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, place the lentils, carrot, onion, bay leaf, parsley, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small pot and add water to cover the lentils by about 3/4 of an inch. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the herbs, drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
• To make the vinaigrette, combine the lemon juice, zest, shallot and 1/4 teaspoon salt and let stand for 15 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with pepper and more salt if necessary.
• To assemble the salad, quarter the lemon and scrape out the soft pulp. Finely chop the pulp and stir 2 teaspoons into the vinaigrette. Finely chop the lemon skin and add it, along with the vinaigrette, roasted beets, parsley and chopped mint, to the lentils. Toss and serve on a platter. Grate the reserved beet and use it for garnish with mint sprigs.