Lentil and Kohlrabi Salad

The underused root vegetable kohlrabi, with its mild mustardy crunchiness, goes well with lentils, with their mealy earthiness.

Lentil and kohlrabi salad.

Ingredients
1 cup lentils
2 cups water
A shallot, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
A kohlrabi
A couple of handfuls of walnuts, broken up into pieces and gently toasted
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp walnut oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Simmer the lentils and shallot in the water for 25 minutes with the lid on. The lentils will absorb the water.
2. Season the lentils with salt.
3. Peel the kohlrabi and cut into small dice.
4. Put the kohlrabi and walnuts in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and cumin, then dress with a couple of glugs of oil and vinegar. Toss.
5. Add the lentils and toss again.

 Pink lentils from the Berry.

This salad is simple and satisfying.  I used pink lentils from the Berry, just to our east, but you could use any green, brown, blonde or black whole lentils. Just don't go for those that have been skinned and split, like red lentils.

Kohlrabi.

If you can't get kohlrabi then cucumber or carrot could be substituted. Cut cucumber or kohlrabi into 1 cm dice, carrot into 5 mm dice. If walnuts are a problem, substitute sunflower seeds.

Homegrown walnuts.

Sesame oil could be used instead of walnut oil, and sherry vinegar instead of cider vinegar. 

Yum

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