lentil olive salad with fresh mozzarella

My second recipe for the USA Dry Peas & Lentils Recipe Rivalry is a lentil and olive salad. There's a cafe in town that sells this incredibly delicious olive salad, and it always stood out in my mind because it makes the perfect snack, or light lunch, it fills you up without putting you into a food coma, and olives offer all sorts of nutrition.

In my version, I decided to replace some of the lentils with pardina lentils. If you do your lentil research (which I would suggest you doing before cooking up a batch of lentils that breaks down more than other lentils, because that's just what that type of lentil does...) you'll find that pardina lentils hold their shape incredible well after cooking, and in a salad with ingredients of substance that's exactly the kind of lentil you want, for presentation factor as well as texture.

As the lentils cooked up in water infused with herbs, onions, and garlic, I set to work chopping the olives (kalamata and green onions), onions, capers, and red onion. The simple vinaigrette consists of golden balsamic vinegar (or any other light vinegar of your preference), basil-infused olive oil, a bit of Dijon mustard, fresh tarragon, and sea salt, all poured over the olives and mixed right in the bowl. Simple enough. Once the lentils have finished cooking, I drained them and rinsed under cold water to stop them from continuing to cook, and finally added them to the olive mixture. My other special ingredient was fresh mozzarella perline, tiny little balls of fresh mozzarella, which I sliced in half. I wanted the texture contrast of the mozzarella against the lentils and olives. Toss everything together, and chill overnight.

The best part about this dish is that it makes the perfect appetizer served with baguette slices, or even inside lettuce leaves. Adding to the versatility, you could make this as a side dish to accompany fish or chicken for a summer salad on top of a bed of arugula or endive.

Seriously an incredible recipe, and I've very pleased with the outcome. In fact, I could eat this for breakfast as an omelette filling, or simply with bread!

Recipe after the jump

This recipe was created as part of my involvement with the USA Dried Peas & Lentils Recipe Rivalry. I'll be blogging about lentil recipes over the next two weeks.

1. Lentils with Jalapenos, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco

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lentil olive salad with mini fresh mozzarella balls
Recipe by Christina Provo

Makes about 4 cups

ingredients ~

1/2 cup brown pardina lentils, picked and rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
10 black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
5 ounces pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup pimento stuffed green olives
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella perline, sliced in half
1/2 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tablespoon basil infused extra virgin olive oil, or regular extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tablespoon finely minced fresh tarragon
3/4 tsp coarse sea salt, plus extra for garnish
Baguette slices
Lettuce leaves

directions ~

1. In a medium saucepan, place lentils, onions, and garlic. Spoon oregano, thyme, red pepper, peppercorns and cloves in a tea ball or wrapped in cheesecloth and place in pot. Stir in 2 1/2 cups water and bring just to a boil; cover with lid and reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until lentils are tender to the bite, but not mushy, about 20-25 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, slice olives into quarters, lengthwise, then chop into small pieces. Place in a medium mixing bowl. Add chopped capers, mozzarella, and onion. Drizzle golden balsamic vinegar, mustard, and olive oil on top, along with tarragon and sea salt. Mix together until olives and mozzarella are coated with dressing.


3. When lentils have finished cooking, drain through a fine-mesh sieve and run under cold water until lentils are no longer hot (this will help stop the lentils from continuing cooking). Add lentils to mixing bowl with olives and stir to combine ingredients. Transfer to a container and chill overnight, or at least for three hours.


4. Place salad in a serving bowl, or individual serving dishes, and sprinkle with coarse salt to garnish. Serve lentil and olive salad with baguette slices and lettuce leaves.

Foodbuzz Family Bites: BLT Bread Salad

This is the second of three recipes I thought of immediately. Everybody enjoys a good BLT sandwich, but since we were asked to focus partly on salads I decided to work the elements of the sandwich into a salad. Following the classic Italian panzanella (bread salad), my main focus was how to best make the croutons. I used day old homemade bread because that's how it worked out, but fresh bread (not straight from the oven fresh) would work because you toast the cubes in the oven. To incorporate the Newman's Own product, I tossed the baslamic vinaigrette with garlic and tomatoes with the cubes and roasted until crispy on the outside. This way, you get the taste of the vinaigrette on the salad itself and also infused into the bread.

And yes, there is plenty of bacon.

Recipe after jump

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BLT Bread Salad
recipe by Christina Provo

The classic sandwich meets an Italian salad in this adaptation of two favorites featuring homemade croutons and bacon.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients -

8 cups good quality bread, cubed into 1-inch chunks
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
Black pepper
5 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
2 cups sliced baby spinach
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette, plus more for serving
Sliced portobello mushrooms, optional

Directions -

1. Preheat oven to 400° degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss bread cubes with garlic, half of the grape tomatoes, and 3 tablespoons Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette. Sprinkle lightly with black pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove sheet from oven and place on a cooling rack.


2. Meanwhile, heat a skillet on medium. Stack slices of bacon and slice into six pieces. Place half of the bacon in the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon pieces to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain bacon grease and repeat with remaining bacon.


3. In a large bowl, mix together romaine lettuce, spinach, and mushrooms. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette and toss to coat. Add the bread cubes to the lettuce and spinach and toss again. Divide salad among bowls and top with bacon pieces and cheddar cheese. Drizzle with additional Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette before serving.