Lentil Salad, Cook’s Illustrated, and the Perils of “Foolproof”

Let me say up front that the inspiration for this dish—my contribution to Thanksgiving this year—came from Cook’s Illustrated magazine. As I noted in my first post, this is a publication with which I have a love/hate relationship. I admire the thoroughness and precision that they bring to their recipe testing; you can peruse the archives on their website and find numerous good recipes, especially if you are looking for American standards like pancakes, apple pie, pot roast, and so forth. However, the CI cooks are often so intent on making a recipe “perfect” and “foolproof,” that they bend over backwards to avoid every possible negative outcome, no matter how unlikely such outcomes may be. And although that might be helpful for beginners, I don’t think it is helpful or useful for those of us who have been cooking for a while and are reasonably confident at the stove. And indeed, I suspect that it might be counterproductive for novice cooks in the long run, since it implies that any deviation from the recipe will result in disaster. The fact that CI once felt it necessary to give a recipe for the “perfect” grilled cheese sandwich suggests that from CI’s perspective, cooking without a recipe, even for the simplest dish, is tantamount to driving on the autobahn while blindfolded.

In this case, I read the words “Lentil Salad with Pomegranate and Walnuts,” and thought, “that sounds good.” But once I read the first paragraph, I realized that I would be abandoning CI and making this dish on my own. Behold said paragraph:

The most important step in making a lentil salad is perfecting the cooking of the lentils so they maintain their shape and firm-tender bite. There turns out to be two key steps. The first is to brine the lentils in warm salt water. With brining, the lentil’s skin softens, which leads to fewer blowouts. The second step is to cook the lentils in the oven, which heats them gently and uniformly. Once we had perfectly cooked lentils, all we had left to do was to pair the earthy beans with a tart vinaigrette and boldly flavored mix-ins.

Seriously? I have been cooking lentils for over two decades now, and I have never found any difficulty in cooking them on the stove. I certainly have never found any need to brine them. I just simmer them in salted water until they’re tender (20 minutes or so), drain them, and get on with my life. I have never needed to soak them for one hour and then bake them for another hour. Does that mean that my lentils have been less than perfect all these years? Perhaps. But one of the reasons I like lentils and keep them as a pantry staple is that unlike other dried beans, they don’t require soaking and long cooking. Obviously, they have great flavor as well, but the fact that I can cook them in less than half an hour is why they’re part of my regular rotation.

But I’ll give credit where credit is due. They came up with the idea for this salad; I didn’t. And you will find their recipe for it at the bottom of this (now very long) post. But in the illustrations below, I'll describe how I made my version, in my un-scientific, non-foolproof, slapdash way. You pays your money and you takes your choice.



Obviously, one begins with the lentils. If you can find French lentils, also called Puy lentils, great. If not, regular brown lentils will do just fine, although they may cook a little bit faster.



Combine 1 1/2 cups of lentils with 4 1/2 cups of water. Add a teaspoon of salt, bring to a simmer, and cook until tender—about 20 minutes. When they are done—taste a few to be sure—drain them in a colander.



Meanwhile, toast a large handful of walnuts in a dry, nonstick skillet over medium heat until the walnuts become fragrant, 10 minutes or so, tossing occasionally.



If memory serves, this is the first time I have ever dealt with a whole pomegranate, and I was unprepared for the experience. I knew that the things exuded red juice, but I wasn't ready for my cutting board to look like the massacre of the innocents.  Anyway, if you quarter the pomegranate and soak it in cold water for a few minutes, the seeds will come out fairly easily. 

In a large mixing bowl, make the vinaigrette: mix about a teaspoon of dijon mustard with about 1/4 cup of vinegar (I used cider vinegar, but any vinegar you like will do). Whisk them together with a pinch of salt, and then slowly add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of olive oil, whisking constantly. You can add the bloody pomegranate juices from your cutting board if you like.

From here on out, it's just a matter of assembly. Add the lentils to the mixing bowl, and toss with the vinaigrette.



Add some sliced green onions (or minced shallots, or no onion at all if you prefer).



Then add the walnuts, which you have chopped coarsely.



Add some chopped parsley, should you happen to have some.



And finally, add the pomegranate seeds.



Stir this all together, and you're done.



I fear I may have made this look overly complicated, but my point is that you don't need to follow any specific rules with something like this; you can use basil instead of parsley, or red onion instead of green, or pecans instead of walnuts, or lemon instead of vinegar; you can add goat cheese, or bell peppers, or chilis, etc., etc.

Happy Thanksgiving.

From Cook's Illustrated (www.cooksillustrated.com): 

LENTIL SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE AND WALNUTS

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

The most important step in making a lentil salad is perfecting the cooking of the lentils so they maintain their shape and firm-tender bite. There turns out to be two key steps. The first is to brine the lentils in warm salt water. With brining, the lentil’s skin softens, which leads to fewer blowouts. The second step is to cook the lentils in the oven, which heats them gently and uniformly. Once we had perfectly cooked lentils, all we had left to do was to pair the earthy beans with a tart vinaigrette and boldly flavored mix-ins. 

SERVES 4 TO 6

This recipe works with any type of lentil with the exception of red lentils. Lentilles du Puy, sometimes called French green lentils, are our preferred choice.

INGREDIENTS

• 1cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
• Salt and pepper
• 2cups water
• 2cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 5garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 1bay leaf
• 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3tablespoons lemon juice
• 1shallot, minced
• 1/4cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse
• 1/3cup pomegranate seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place lentils and 1 teaspoon salt in bowl. Cover with 4 cups warm (about 110 degrees) water and soak for 1 hour. Drain well. (Drained lentils can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before cooking.)
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place drained lentils, water, chicken broth, garlic, bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon salt in medium saucepan. Cover and bake in oven until lentils are tender but remain intact, 40 to 60 minutes. While lentils are in oven, whisk oil and lemon juice together in large bowl.
3. Drain lentils well; remove and discard garlic and bay leaf. Add drained lentils, shallot, cilantro, half of walnuts, and half of pomegranate seeds to dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with remaining walnuts and pomegranate seeds, and serve.