I think there is a certain consensus among those of us who are living through Winter right now that citrus fruits are basically the best part about it. The other features of our winter - air so cold it hurts any exposed skin, shoveling and de-icing all the things all the time, extremities that are always cold even while INDOORS, plus a few other things that make you swear under your breath - I can live without!
This is a salad that offers some heft by way of hearty lentils - loads of it. I'm also on an herb-y kick lately so I piled on parsley and dill both of which add freshness and dimension. The shredded purple (or red? I can never decide what to call it) cabbage can also be subbed with radicchio for a similar but slightly bitter (in the best way) addition. That's what I wanted to put but it didn't look fresh at the market so I defaulted back to my trusty purple cabbage ever present in the fridge drawer. The crowning jewels of this salad are, clearly, the gorgeous blood oranges which look like literal jewels nestled among leaves. Supreming them (a French culinary word meaning to cut the orange segments out of their membranes) is befitting for something as special as blood oranges, don't you think?
The dressing is a classic shallot vinaigrette elevated with the addition of juices from the blood oranges, which was actually a by-product of supreming them - just do it over a shallow bowl to catch the juices and also wring out the emptied membranes at the end. I'm a fan of putting two different acids in my salad dressings so this is a perfect no-waste situation!
This salad could either be a side salad or a main meal, especially if served with a sunny egg or two. Without the egg, it's a nice vegan salad too since it has lots of lentils for plant protein. I hope you get around to trying this before blood orange season comes to an end.
Substitution for Blood Oranges: If blood oranges are out of season or are not accessible in your region, switch in julienned apples instead. Crispy varieties like Honey Crisp, Gala or Granny Smith are good options. The apple's sweet crunch is actually quite marvelous in this salad as well!
FULL RECIPE AND PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
MAKE IN ADVANCE:
The vinaigrette can be made in advance (minus the blood orange juice if you haven't cut the blood oranges yet) and kept in the fridge in an airtight container for at least a week.
The lentils can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Winter Salad with Lentils and Herbs with a Blood Orange Vinaigrette
{ gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan if omit eggs }
Recipe serves 4.
INGREDIENTS
For the salad:
1 1/2 C brown, green or french lentils, rinsed well and picked over
3-4 blood oranges, supremed (make sure to reserve the juices for the vinaigrette recipe below)
2 C purple cabbage (or radicchio), shredded
1 1/2 C fresh parsley leaves, rough chopped
3/4 C fresh dill, rough chopped
6 C mixed salad greens and/or frisée
For the blood orange vinaigrette (makes just over 1/2 Cup):
2 tbsp finely minced shallots
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp honey
4 tsp blood orange juice (or other citrus juice if blood oranges are not in season), juices saved from supreming them
1 tsp kosher salt, or to your taste
Fresh cracked black peppercorns, to your taste
To serve:
1 or 2 crispy fried eggs per person
METHOD
Cook the lentils - either in an Instant Pot and or on the stove; methods as follows:
(a) If using Instant Pot, place 3 cups of well-drained lentils and 6 cups of broth and/or water plus a pinch of kosher salt if broth is unsalted. Select "Manual" mode and set to pressure cook on high for 13 minutes. Allow it to naturally depressurize which I think took another 15 minutes or so (I wasn't near it the exact moment when the lid released). Set aside.
(b) If cooking on stovetop, place the well-drained lentils in a medium pot, cover with 3 to 4 inches of broth and/or water plus a pinch of salt if broth is unsalted. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook uncovered until lentils are tender but still have firmness, about 20-25 minutes. Top up with water if needed. Do check on them starting from the 15 minute mark to make sure they don't get overcooked - we're definitely not going for mushy lentils! Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, supreme the blood oranges, which means to separate out the segments from the membranes. Do this over a shallow bowl to catch all the juices and also give the empty membrane a good squeeze as well before discarding them. Set aside the segments and the juice.
Next, make the vinaigrette by combining all the ingredients (including 4 tsp of the blood orange juice reserved from surpeming them) and whisk until everything emulsifies.
Using a sharp knife or mandoline, finely shred the purple cabbage. Give the parsley and dill a rough chop. In a large mixing bowl, gently toss the mixed salad greens, shredded cabbage, parsley and dill. Drizzle vinaigrette around and down the side of the mixing bowl while tossing everything. Finally, add the lentils and blood orange segments with a final small toss just to coat. Serve the salad with 1 or 2 fried eggs per person. Warm egg on salad is epic!
Enjoy xx
If you like this recipe, pin it to Pinterest! You can also leave me a comment below to let me know what you think of this post - I would love that. :)