This is a surprisingly wonderful combination of flavors. The tomatoes, gorgonzola, and herbs come together in a surprisingly wonderful combination of flavors. Note that you will want to look for a firm type of lentil, like Castelluccio or Puy lentils, as these will keep their shape when cooked. Adapted from Yottam Ottolenghi’s Plenty.

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced (or use pickled onion from this recipe)
• 1 T good quality red wine vinegar
• 250 g Castelluccio lentils
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 T chopped parsley
• 3 T chopped chives
• 3 T chopped dill
• 80 g mild gorgonzola, cut or torn into rough chunks
• 1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, drained of their oil and patted dry (try to remove as much oil as possible) [Note: The original recipe has you make your own oven roasted tomatoes. They taste amazing but they take 1.5-2 hours, so, it’s up to you!]
• 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped
• High quality balsamic vinegar (or balsamic reduction)

Instructions

1. Place the sliced red onion in a medium bowl, and combine with vinegar and a sprinkle of sea salt. Stir and leave for ~10 minutes, until the onion softens a bit.
2. Sprinkle chopped thyme over tomatoes.
3. Bring a medium pot of water to boil and cook the lentils, at a simmer, for 20-30 minutes until tender.
4. Drain lentils and add to the onions while still warm.
5. Mix lentils with olive oil, garlic, and black pepper, and gently toss to combine. Let stand until cool.
6. Once cool, combine with herbs and gently mix together.
7. To serve, pile he lentils on a large plate or bowl, and top with cheese and tomatoes. integrating the cheese and tomatoes as you build up the pile. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar reduction.