One of my grandfather’s specialties is lentil salad. This is a great side dish or main course, depending on your love for it. Unfortunately, he hasn’t made it in quite a while because Bulgar wheat has become hard to find in his small town. When I was checking out the new Whole Foods at Cool Springs, I was very excited to find the wheat and knew immediately what I wanted to cook!
Here is his recipe:
Lentil Salad
- ¾ cup Bulgar wheat, boiled in 1 ½ cup water for 30 minutes
- ¾ cup lentils, boiled in 2 cups water for 20 minutes
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 small cucumber, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped
- 20 – 22 black Kalamata olives, pitted
- Feta Cheese to taste
We found cracked Bulgar wheat, which lead to a different cooking time. We boiled the Bulgar wheat for about 10 minutes when all the water was absorbed. We decided to let it sit for about 20 minutes. We boiled the lentils for 20 minutes, where they also absorbed most of the water. We added the lentils to the wheat in a large bowl and waited a few minutes for the mixture to cool.
Once cooled, add tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, and olives to the mixture.
At this point, make the Greek Vinaigrette Dressing.
Greek Vinaigrette Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon oregano
Combine all the ingredients in a jar and shake well.
Pour the Greek vinaigrette dressing over salad mixture and toss. Refrigerate until cold and serve with crumbled Feta cheese sprinkled over the top.
