Guy Weyl was a little boy during World War II, when his parents fled the Nazis, first hiding in the Dordogne and then crossing the border into Spain when France became too dangerous. They then went to Portugal, and from there took a boat to New York, where they stayed through the rest of the war. The whole time Guy was in the United States, he missed the green lentils from France. During the war, lentils were just beginning to gain popularity in New York as a wartime alternative to meat, but they still were not the delicacy they were in France. So, when Guy returned to France and went to school, he was thrilled to eat lentils again, but his schoolmates laughed at his fondness for them, because that was all they had had to eat during the war. This hasn’t lessened his ardor for the tiny green pulses, and Guy’s wife, Eveline, makes a wonderful lentil salad.
Recipe information
Yield
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse the lentils, and discard any pebbles you may find.
Step 2
Put the lentils in a saucepan with water to cover. Set the sauce-pan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Add the teaspoon of salt, the celery, quartered onion, garlic, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon of the fresh thyme. Simmer the lentils, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until al dente. (Cooking time for lentils can vary greatly.) When cool enough to handle, fish out the celery, onion, and bay leaf, and discard.
Step 3
Whisk together, in a salad bowl, the mustard, vinegar, oil, salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Drain the lentils while warm, and put them in the bowl with the vinaigrette. Toss with the diced onion, parsley, and remaining teaspoon of thyme.
