Name: Salad of roast carrots, apple & lentils with chilli & preserved lemons
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients: 350g baby carrots (a mix of colours is best); 1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 250g cooked puy lentils; 1 red and 1 green chilli halved, deseeded and very finely sliced; 2 preserved lemons rind only, finely sliced, plus 2 tsp brine from the jar; 1 large or 2 medium tart eating apples; ½ lemon juiced; 10 mint sprigs, leaves torn; ½ small bunch of coriander leaves picked; 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar; 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 large garlic clove finely grated; 1cm piece of ginger peeled and finely grated; ¼ tsp runny honey

Salad of roast carrots, apple & lentils with chilli & preserved lemons served on a plate

For the salad

350g baby carrots
(a mix of colours is best)
1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250g cooked puy lentils
1 red and 1 green chilli
halved, deseeded and very finely sliced
2 preserved lemons
rind only, finely sliced, plus 2 tsp brine from the jar
1 large or 2 medium tart eating apples
½ lemon
juiced
10 mint
sprigs, leaves torn
½ small bunch of coriander
leaves picked

For the dressing

2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove
finely grated
1cm piece of ginger
peeled and finely grated
¼ tsp runny honey

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Trim the carrots, but leave a bit of the tops on. If you can’t find baby carrots, halve or quarter larger ones lengthways. Don’t peel them, just wash well. Put in a single layer in a roasting tin, add the olive oil, salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Roast for 25-30 mins until tender. Be careful not to overcook.
step 2
Make the dressing by putting the vinegar in a bowl and whisking in all the other ingredients with a fork. Season. Put the lentils in a broad shallow serving bowl with half the chilli and a third of the preserved lemon. Season, then toss with about a third of the dressing. Halve and core the apple (there’s no need to peel) and cut into matchsticks. Throw into a large mixing bowl with the lemon juice and add the carrots. Add the rest of the preserved lemons and chilli, along with two-thirds of the herbs and the remaining dressing. Scatter the rest of the herbs over the lentils, and put the carrot and apple mixture on top.