I adore brown lentil salad, particularly with lamb cutlets. It’s a little meal of mine I haven’t shared with you as yet. We had a variation on it tonight.

Lentil, Pea, Broad Bean & Chicken Salad
1 cup brown lentils, soaked over night (or use tinned if you must)
6 – 8 pods of broad beans, shelled
big handful green pea pods, shelled
juice 1 1/2 lemons
extra virgin olive oil
4 small tomatoes, cut into small pieces
200g fetta, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 chicken breasts

Cook lentils until just cooked through, drain and immediately dress with a generous splosh of oil and lemon juice. Toss dressing through lentils thoroughly.
While the lentils are cooking, blanch peas and broad beans for a couple of minutes. Remove skins from broad beans. Toss beans and peas through lentils.
Also while lentils are cooking (or after if you don’t want to dirty another pot), poach chicken breasts until cooked through. Drain and cut inti bite sized pieces.
Toss tomato, mint and fetta through lentils. Add chicken and thoroughly toss. Taste to see if seasoning needs adjusting.

That’s it. Very easy and hearty enough to make a filling meal. Brilliant on a hot day. If the weather is cooler, crumbed cutlets perched on top of a serving of the salad with the chicken omitted is possibly even more delicious.