Black lentil radish,
watermelon radish, herbs
tahina dressing
serves 8 as an entrée, 12 as a side
for the lentils
200g black lentils
5g Maldon sea salt
for the radish
1 bunch large radish, cleaned and grated
2 x 5g Maldon sea salt
2 cloves of garlic
50g EV olive oil
50g Vine Valley white wine vinegar
other ingredients
1 bunch watermelon radish, peeled and very finely sliced on a mandolin
1 pickled lime, pulp discarded and finely julienned
100g p/w red onion, finely julienned and mixed with 100g strained lemon juice
500g zucchini, very finely sliced lengthwise on a mandolin, blanched for seconds in boiling salted water with a good splash of EV olive oil, refreshed in iced water and dried on paper towel
50g currants, moistened with 20g water
½ bunch curly parsley, washed, stalked and finely chopped
½ bunch flat leaf parsley washed, stalked and coarsely chopped
½ a big bunch basil, leafed
½ bunch mint, leafed
30g Tahina – click here
50g strained lemon juice
100g EV Olive oil
Maldon sea salt
white pepper, freshly ground
Method
for the lentils
Soak the lentils in a generous amount of cold water for an hour, drain and rinse under cold running water. Cook the lentils in boiling salted water until they are just tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water and allow to drain sitting in a sieve.
important — it is impossible to give a precise time for cooking the lentils you need to keep your eye on them because it depends how dried out they are 15 – 30 minutes is just a guide.
for the radish
Using a fine grating mandolin grate the radish into a bowl, add 5g Maldon and mix over and set a timer for an hour. Macerate the garlic with the salt to form a paste and put it and the vinegar and oil into a bowl and mix together.
When the timer goes squeeze out all of the liquid and mix the radish through the dressing.
everything to this point can be done in advance
to serve
Put the lentils and radish into a large bowl and add everything to the line and gently toss over. In another bowl mix together the Tahina, lemon juice and olive oil. Add to the salad and mix over then taste and season. Add the herbs and without coating them completely mix through and serve.
Tahina — is easily made by slow roasting sesame seeds until they are nicely coloured in a 160°C oven, allowing them to cool slightly and processing them until smooth in a blender, MyCook or Thermomix with a pinch (or three depending on the amount you are making) of Maldon sea salt with quality EV olive oil. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.
