I had so many ideas I wanted to share. Looking back as I write, I realize I was feeling unusually ambitious and maybe should have expected that something would interrupt my plan.
I wanted to write about Spring and how thrilled I was to see it arrive. On the very first day of Spring we returned to the farm. Lulu has been asking every morning to see “les moutons et les poules,” and with the temperature reaching 70°F that day it felt like the perfect outing. While Lulu enjoys the farm as a big playground full of amusing creatures, I find it restorative to be near the animals, smell the earth, touch the grass, and come home with mud on my boots.
I also planned to share recipes: parsley root fritters I cooked, the pear and chocolate tart I made last Thursday while Lulu was at daycare, and the strawberry cake I baked. Yes, I know strawberries aren’t fully in season yet, but I’ve been enjoying them a lot recently—they tasted good and lifted my spirits.
Cooking has been therapeutic for me this past week, and it felt like we were ready to welcome the season of budding flowers and fresh green leaves after winter’s long grey.
Seasons are cyclical, and that cycle is one of the things I love about them.
Friday was beautiful: Lulu and her friend R. played like the best of friends—chasing, laughing and hugging. Saturday was nearly as pleasant, though a bit cooler.
Then Sunday the weather turned. It became cold again. We went for a walk in the morning, but by the afternoon both Lulu and I felt under the weather. A cough, then a slight fever. I recovered by Monday, but Lulu was still ill—and it started snowing again.
So instead of the full list of things I had intended to write about, I focused on a comforting green lentil salad I made. A package had just arrived with beautifully knitted dresses from my mother—have I mentioned how wonderful a knitter she is? Merci maman!—and inside was the latest issue of Elle à Table, which inspired this salad. Below is my version of that recipe.
Warm green lentils combined with refreshing elements—finely shaved fennel, delicate quail eggs, crisp apple and tender green asparagus—felt like a little taste of Spring on my plate. I enjoyed two servings while Lulu napped upstairs, and finished with strawberries lightly sugared and served with yogurt.
I was content, and even happier an hour later when Lulu had her appetite back and was smiling again. I felt grateful for those simple comforts.
For 4 servings
You need:
For the dressing:
- Sea salt
- 2 teaspoons honey mustard
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice (about 2 small lemons)
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pistachio oil
For the salad:
- 1 cup French green lentils
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Sea salt
- 1 small fennel bulb, cored and very thinly sliced
- 12 quail eggs
- 1 apple, cored and finely diced
- 12 green asparagus spears, about 3 inches each
- Handful of watercress
- Fresh coriander, finely chopped
- Crushed pink peppercorns
Steps:
- To make the vinaigrette: in a small bowl, combine salt, mustard, lemon juice and shallot. Stir, then whisk in the oils to emulsify. Set aside.
- Place lentils in a pot and add the chicken stock and water. Add thyme sprigs and bay leaf, season with salt, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender. Drain off any excess liquid.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus for 1 minute, then rinse under cold water. Cut each spear into three pieces.
- Divide the cooked lentils among plates or serving glasses and set aside.
- Boil the quail eggs for 3 minutes, transfer to cold water, peel carefully and halve; set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss together the shaved fennel, apple, watercress and asparagus with the vinaigrette.
- Top the lentils with the dressed salad, add the quail eggs, then sprinkle with crushed pink peppercorns and chopped coriander. Serve immediately.
Pour 4 personnes
Ingrédients :
Pour la vinaigrette :
- Sel de mer
- 2 càc de moutarde au miel
- 2 càs de jus de citron
- 1 petite échalote, hachée finement
- 3 càs d’huile d’olive
- 2 càs d’huile de pistache
Pour la salade :
- 1 tasse de lentilles vertes
- 500 ml de bouillon de volaille
- 125 ml d’eau
- 2 brins de thym
- 1 feuille de laurier
- Sel de mer
- 1 petite bulbe de fenouil, coupée finement avec une mandoline
- 12 oeufs de caille
- 1 pomme, évidée et coupée finement
- 12 pointes d’asperges de 8 cm
- Une grosse poignée de cresson
- Coriandre fraîchement hachée
- Baies roses concassées
Etapes :
- Pour préparer la vinaigrette, dans un petit bol, ajoutez le sel, la moutarde, le jus de citron et l’échalote. Mélangez puis ajoutez les huiles et émulsionnez.
- Placez les lentilles dans une casserole. Couvrez avec le bouillon et l’eau, ajoutez le thym et la feuille de laurier, salez, couvrez et laissez mijoter 45 minutes à 1 heure jusqu’à ce que les lentilles soient tendres. Égouttez et réservez.
- Pendant ce temps, faites blanchir les asperges dans un grand volume d’eau bouillante salée. Rincez-les à l’eau froide et coupez chaque pointe en trois.
- Répartissez les lentilles dans quatre assiettes ou verres.
- Faites cuire les œufs de caille 3 minutes, puis écalez-les et coupez-les en deux.
- Dans un grand saladier, mélangez le fenouil, la pomme, le cresson et les asperges. Ajoutez la vinaigrette et mélangez bien.
- Disposez cette préparation sur les lentilles, ajoutez les œufs, puis assaisonnez de baies roses et de coriandre. Servez sans attendre.