Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 200 g (7 oz/1 cup) long-grain brown rice
- 100 ml (3 1/4 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200 g (7 oz/1 cup) Puy lentils (small blue-green lentils)
- 3 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
- 3 tablespoons roughly chopped mint
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 100 g (3 1/4 oz/2 cups) baby English spinach
Method
1. Score a cross in the base of each tomato. Put in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 30 seconds, then transfer to cold water, drain and peel away the skin from the cross. Cut the tomatoes in half, scoop out the seeds and dice the flesh.
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add salt and the rice, and cook for 30-35 minutes, or until tender. Drain and refresh under cold water.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan and add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until softened, then add the lentils and 375 ml (13 fl oz/1 1 1/4 cups) water. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally and adding a little more water if necessary. Drain well, but do not rinse.
4. In a large bowl, combine the lentil mixture with the rice, tomato, coriander and mint. Whisk the remaining oil with the vinegar and lemon juice and season well. Pour over the salad, add the pine nuts and English spinach, and toss to combine.
