Early this morning, I read a recipe in the New York Times by Martha Rose Shulman (yesterday’s paper) for a Black Rice and Red Lentil Salad. I decided that I wanted to make it for lunch. I went to the store to buy the ingredients, but they didn’t have black rice, so I bought black barley instead. Avocados were on sale and just ripe, so I bought a couple of those, thinking I would use them sometime but without anything particular in mind. The New York Times recipe instructed me to soak the lentils for a couple of hours, but I felt unsure of this technique, because the instructions on the package of red lentils I purchased said to cook them in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. So I decided to cook the barley according to the package instructions and then add the lentils for the amount of time suggested on the package. I put together a dressing using the ingredients and proportions suggested in the New York Times, then put a little bit of it over a small test portion of salad. I decided it needed more oomph, so I added a couple of ingredients to the dressing and changed the proportions a little, and I also added a few ingredients to the salad in order to make the flavors more complex. I added avocado to give it a smooth, soft, mellowy something. I added dried apricots and currants to give it a little sweetness amidst the rather heavy, earthy flavors of the barley and beans. I added celery for a little crunch. The result was amazing. This is a real winner, and I am so proud of myself! By the way, I used red lentils, thinking that the red color would look nice in the salad, but when I cooked them, they turned brown, so I think you could use any kind of lentil in this recipe and it would be fine and not make a lot of difference.
1 ½ TBS lime juice
1 TBS walnut oil
1 TBS grapeseed oil
1 TBS soy sauce
½ TBS rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, pressed
½ tsp ginger juice or grated ginger
¼ tsp ground cumin
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Salad:
1 cup black barley (dry, rinsed)
1/3 cup lentils (dry, rinsed)
1 cup edamame beans
4 cups vegetable broth
1 celery stalk, diced
1 avocado, diced
¼ cup chopped dried apricots
¼ cup currants
¼ cup chopped walnuts
2TBS chopped cilantro
Boil vegetable broth. Add black barley. After 30 minutes, add lentils. Cook about 10 minutes more. Check for doneness: lentils should be soft but not mushy. Barley should be tender but will have a slightly chewy/nubby texture. Drain over bowl; reserve broth for another use (can be used as a vegetable broth base for soup or something). Put lentils and barley in a bowl and toss. Allow to cool. Add cooked edamame beans (if you use frozen, cook in a microwave for 2-3 minutes), celery, avocado, dried fruit, nuts and cilantro. Pour dressing over all and toss.