Alisha Randell makes a simple and tasty pear and lentil salad that will leave you feeling just right.
By Alisha Randell
This may not be the prettiest dish I ever created, but it sure is at the top of the tasty list. With the melt in your mouth sweetness of the baked pear, and just a slight tartness from the addition of meyer lemon juice… My palate was already doing a happy dance.
PrintBaked Pear and Chi Spiced Lentil Salad
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
A simple and sweet pear and lentil salad recipe.
Ingredients
Scale
For the tea:
- 1 flowering tea bulb
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1 small vanilla been, split
- 4–6 cardamon pods, bruised
- 3 cloves, bruised
- 1 teaspoon whole pepper corns, cracked
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups or so boiling water
For the lentils:
- 1 cup dry brown lentils
- 1 3/4 cups tea
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
For the baked pears:
- 2 large pears of your choice
- 1 meyer lemon, juiced
For the curry nut topping:
- 2 tablespoons crushed almonds
- 1 tablespoon crushed sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon Vietnamese lemongrass curry powder
- 1/8th teaspoon dry thyme, crushed
- 1 1/8 teaspoon dry parsley, crushed
- Freshly ground pepper if desired
Instructions
For the tea:
- Bring 2 plus cups of water to a boil and place flowering tea bulb
- into a tea pot with a lid of bowl that can be covered. Add spices and
- steep for about 10 minutes or so, or until fragrant.
For the lentils:
- Clean dry lentils and rinse under cold running water.Add lentils and tea
- to a sauce pan over medium heat to just below a boil. Reduce heat
- and simmer 20-25 minutes adding more tea or water if needed.
- Once lentils are done place coconut into a sauté pan over
- medium heat until hot. Add prepared lentils and seasonings
- sauté for a few minutes stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to
- low and keep warm.
For the baked pears:
- Slice pears in half lengthwise removing stem and core area
- with a spoon creating a bit of a bowl area.
- Slice a small bit off of each half on the backside so that they sit
- flatly in a baking dish. Squeeze fresh meyer lemon juice over each.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes
- or until just fork tender.
For the curry nut topping:
- Place all ingredients into a mortar and pestle and lightly
- crush together, tossing to insure even incorporation.
- Scoop lentils into the pears and top with curry nut mixture.
- Serve warm.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
I’ll have to try this.