Tasty lentil salad with apple, carrots and celery root

Insalata di lenticchie
This is one of my favourite salads – a colourful, hearty and tasty lentil salad with apple, carrots and celery root. Something highly nutritious that can be served as a one-course vegetarian meal throughout the year.

It is really nice and fresh in the spring and summertime, when you can use tender baby vegetables, but it’s also good in fall and winter as a substitute for leafy greens and tomatoes. Then I just fry the celery root and carrots in olive oil for a few minutes until they are tender.

Ingredients
150 g small and firm green lentils
1 tbsp mustard
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 apple
2 carrots
¼ celery root
1 leek
100 g prosciutto crudo (pancetta or bacon can be used instead)
Fresh thyme, salt, pepper

Preparation
Boil the lentils in salty water for about 20 minutes, until they’re tender without being mashy.
Whisk mustard with olive oil to a thick mayonnaise-like consistency. Then stir in the vinegar.
Mix the drained but still warm lentils with the dressing.
Fry the sliced prosciutto in the oven (or on a frying pan) until crisp.
Wash the apple and remove the core, before cutting the fruit up in small cubes.
Mix with the lentils, before the apple starts to turn brown.
Peel  and cube celery and carrots, and fry them for 2-3 minutes if necessary.
Clean and slice the leek
Mix all the vegetables and fresh thyme with the lentils and dressing.
Sprinkle with crunchy prosciutto.
The salad is ready to serve immediately, but it keeps for hours outside the fridge.

More tasty vegetarian courses

Baked vegetable recipes: Fennel and tomato gratin

Pasta with leeks and parmesan

Ciambotta – Aubergine, pepper and potato stew