½ lb 250 g faba beans, fresh
1 large or 3 small cucumbers
fresh herbs

Dressing:
garlic lemon juice
salt pepper
oil

Shell the faba beans. Slice the cucumber into thin rounds or small cubes. Mix beans and cucumber, sprinkle with fresh herbs and season with dressing. If preferred mix with 1 pounded hard-boiled egg yolk, the chopped white and a little bit of milk.

Alternative: add a few shrimps for a light meal.

2 lbs/1 kg courgettes
1 lb/½ kg faba beans, fresh (weighed
after podding) or frozen
1 tsp. salt
1 lb/½ kg tomatoes
6 tbsp. French dressing

Slice the courgettes and put them in the pan with the faba beans. Cover with boiling water, add salt and boil for 3 minutes. Drain cooked beans through a colander and rinse with cold water to freshen. Skin the tomatoes (cover with boiling water, count 12 and replace with cold water to prevent them from softening). Peel and quarter the skinned tomatoes, then scoop out all the seeds (use them for soup or sauces). Add tomato to the other vegetables with French dressing and turn carefully to coat thoroughly.

Serves 14

¾ pint/375 ml salad oil
¼ pint/125 ml wine or cider vinegar
salt and freshly ground lack pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1tsp. French mustard

1 cup lentils
½ cup French dressing
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
lettuce leaves

Soak and simmer lentils in the same water until tender. Drain and add French dressing, season with salt and pepper and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Serve on lettuce leaves.

Serves 6

8 oz/225 g yellow lentils
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely sliced

Soak the lentils overnight in lukewarm water with salt and flour. Next day, remove the lentils but keep the water. Bring this water to the boil and then leave it to cool. When cool add the rinsed lentils, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for ¼ hour. Strain, discard the water and put the lentils in a large saucepan with fresh salted boiling water, cover and cook until tender. Drain well.
While the lentils are still warm, season to taste and stir in olive oil and onion. Chill.
Keep well, stored covered in a refrigerator.

Serves 4-6

½ lb/450 g lentils, soaked overnight
(large dark brown ones)
salt
2-3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Dressing:
6-7 tbsp. olive or salad oil
juice 1½ - 2 lemons (or more)
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed (optional)
black pepper
½ tsp. ground coriander or cumin (optional)

Drain lentils after soaking and boil them in a half-covered pan of fresh water until barely tender (¾-1½ hours or 10-20 minutes in a pressure cooker). Do not overcook. Add salt towards the end of the cooking time. Drain well. Mix the dressing ingredients and pour over the lentils while still quite hot. Stir in parsley and serve.


Variations:
1. Soften a finely chopped onion in about 6 tbsps. oil, add the lentils, the juice of 1 lemon, a crushed garlic clove and about 1 pint of water (but no salt). Simmer the mixture until tender (¾-1 hour), add water from time to time, if necessary. Towards the end of the cooking time season with salt and pepper and a little ground cumin or coriander (if liked). Cook for a few minutes longer and serve.

2 This version can also be cooked until the lentils are very soft, spiced (as above) and then mashed or liquidized to a purée.

½ cup lentils
1 medium-crisp apple, diced
1 cup cauliflower, finely sliced
½ cup broken walnuts
mayonnaise
sour cream or lemon juice

Clean, soak and cook the lentils. Drain and leave to cool. Combine the lentils, apple, cauliflower and walnuts and mix with mayonnaise slightly thinned with sour cream, or lemon juice.

Good when served on rings of pineapple.

Serves 6

½ lb/1 cup lentils
salt
¾ cup salad oil
3 tbsp. cider vinegar
½ tsp. tarragon
pepper
¾ cup thinly sliced green onions
1½ cup cut-up cooked chicken or turkey
Romaine lettuce leaves

Rinse and clean lentils. Bring to a boil the lentils, 1 tsp. salt and 3 cups water in a 2-quart saucepan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until lentils are tender, drain well.
In a large bowl mix lentils, salad oil, vinegar, tarragon, pepper, 2 tsp. salt and half the green onions. Cover and refrigerate, tossing occasionally. Cover and refrigerate remaining green onions.
Add chicken to lentil mixture and serve on a bed of Romaine leaves, garnished with the remaining sliced green onions.

Serves 6

½ cup lentils
1 cup turkey or chicken, cubed
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 cup heart of lettuce, shredded
½ cup chopped nuts (walnuts are good)

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup tomato ketchup
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. grated onion
½ tsp. salt

Clean, soak and cook the lentils. Mix the ingredients for the dressing together and combine with the drained and cooled lentils, the turkey or chicken, celery, lettuce and the chopped nuts.
Can be served piled up in lettuce leaves or in hollowed-out tomatoes.

Serves 6

2 bunches fresh spinach, torn into pieces
1 large red apple, unpeeled, cored, quartered and sliced thinly
1 cup lentil sprouts
½ onion, sliced thinly
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. fines herbes*
salt to taste

Toss spinach, apple, lentil sprouts and onion together. Mix oil, vinegar, lemon juice, herbs and salt together. Pour over salad and toss well.

* An equal combination of sage, oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram and rosemary.

Soak the required quantity of lentils in water overnight. Next day, tie the soaked lentils in a muslin bag and keep moist. After 24 to 36 hours, the tender, needle-like shoots should be ready for eating

Alternative method: Keep the lentils in a moist container. Sprinkle periodically with a little water and keep covered with 3-4 layers of damp cloth throughout the germination period.

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