Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a homemade cheese party. A party, with cheese? How could I possibly say no! The very talented Nic Cooks makes her own cheese and generously invited a few food bloggers over for ‘cheesepalooza’, an afternoon to enjoy her delicious creations.
One of the cheeses Nic made is creamy goats cheese and I was lucky enough to be sent home with some. So I had the perfect ingredient for creating a tasty Sunday lunch. And with homemade rocket pesto in the fridge, I knew exactly what to make.
I’m often cautious when ordering a salad as they can leave you wanting a little something else to fill your tummy. I was so impressed by a hearty dish I had for lunch at The Baron recently that I ate every morsel of it AND I wasn’t hungry afterwards. Hooray! The Baron’s dish used basil pesto and labneh. I’ve recreated my own version to share with you.
Having not used Puy lentils before, I referred to my new favourite book River Cottage Veg Every Day! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall for instructions on how to cook them.
Lentil and goats cheese salad
1 cup Puy lentils
2 tsp Moroccan seasoning
Salad mix
Baby roma tomatoes
Rocket pesto
Goats cheese
- Add lentils to a saucepan with plenty of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute, then drain. Return lentils to the saucepan and cover with water and stir through Moroccan seasoning.
- Bring lentils to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, until tender but not mushy.
- Quarter or halve the tomatoes into bite size pieces. In a large bowl scatter the salad mix and tomatoes.
- Generously drizzle with pesto and sprinkle with small pieces of goats cheese.
It may not be the most attractive salad but it sure tastes good! What’s your favourite hearty salad?
This looks delish. Cheese is my passion & my weakness. I need a friend like Nic Cooks
Oh me too, I can’t resist a delicious cheese. Yum!
Looks delicious! I love puy lentils, they are great in salads but also slow cooked in winter for a hearty, comforting dish.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful cheeses! I’ve certainly put some of my take home portion to good use
Yum! I’m definitely adding this to my “must cook list”. I’ve never cooking with Puy lentils before – it’s must more simple than I thought it would be. And that goats cheese was INCREDIBLE!
The lentils are great and the salad was fab, super easy too
A cheese party – what a fun idea! Goats cheese is one of my faves too and this looks like a delicious and healthy salad!
It’s a great salad, really easy to make too
Wow, home made cheese? Sounds too good! Well done Nic! Love the look of your salad. Always love bits of cheese here and there. It makes such a difference!
Thanks Tina. Nic did a wonderful job, she’s a clever gal