French · Authentic-ish French
Salade de Lentilles
328 kcal a serving, against 488 for the traditional version. That is 160 kcal off, or 33%, with 19.8g of protein. Serves 4. 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A mountain of earthy Puy lentils, boiled gently until cooked but holding a firm bite. While piping hot, they get tossed with finely diced raw shallot, fresh parsley, and a heavy vinaigrette made from Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and a staggering amount of olive oil. The oil coats every lentil, making the bowl rich, glossy and incredibly filling.
What changed, and what each change costs
Slashing 90g of olive oil down to 15g
Olive oil tastes magnificent, but dumping nearly 100g of pure fat into a bowl of lentils is unnecessary. Using 15g of oil is enough to take the harsh edge off the vinegar and help the mustard emulsify into a smooth dressing.
What it costs you. You lose that luxurious mouthfeel. The traditional salad coats your lips with oil and feels like a main course stew. This version is much sharper and entirely reliant on the bite of the mustard.
Adding 60g of chicken stock to the vinaigrette
Cutting the oil removes the volume of liquid needed to dress 300g of dry lentils. If you don't replace the lost moisture, you eat a bowl of dry legumes. I whisk cold chicken stock into the mustard to stretch the dressing out.
What it costs you. It introduces a savoury, meaty background note to a bright vegetarian dish. Purists will hate it, and vegetarians can't eat it.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 488 | 328 |
| Protein | 19.5g | 19.8g |
| Fat | 23.5g | 5g |
| Saturated fat | 3.2g | 0.7g |
| Carbohydrate | 52.6g | 53.1g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4g | 6g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish French prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. celery, mustard, sulphites.
The method is in the book
A fiercely sharp and deeply satisfying bowl of food, then. Not a limp, watery compromise, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. Because the massive slick of oil is gone, the earthy flavour of the lentils takes centre stage, backed up by the aggressive punch of the Dijon mustard. The stock does a brilliant job of mimicking a heavier dressing, keeping every mouthful moist without weighing you down. I happily eat a massive bowl of this on its own, or serve it next to roasted white fish.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback