Italians love lentils and cook them in lots of creative ways, including the traditional lentil and sausage dish that is served on New Year’s Day. Lentils are also very often used as the basis of a main-course salad like this one, which is a little more refined than most thanks to the sweet, juicy grapes and chopped hazelnuts. Like lentil soup, this salad develops more flavor the longer it sits, and it makes a wonderful bed for flavorful fish such as salmon. Certainly you can eat this right away, or make it ahead of time, refrigerate overnight, and serve at room temperature the next day.

　　

Ingredients

4 to 6 servings

　　1 pound green lentils

　　2 scallions, white part only, chopped

　　1 cup halved seedless green grapes

　　1 cup halved seedless red grapes

　　1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

　　1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced

　　1/2 cup coarsely chopped skinned and toasted hazelnuts

　　2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 1 to 2 lemons)

　　1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

　　1/3 cup olive oil

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, 18 to 20 minutes. Drain and let cool for 5 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Combine the lentils, scallions, red and green grapes, cucumber, bell pepper, hazelnuts, and lemon zest in a large salad bowl.

　　

Step 3

Pour the lemon juice into a small bowl. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly, until combined. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 4

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.

　　Giada at Home by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2010 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.