A salad of brown lentils, dressed with sliced onions and a mustard vinaigrette, is perfect for picnicking. 

　　

Ingredients

½ pound smoked pork or streak of lean (not bacon)

　　1 pound lentils

　　4 scallions

　　4 tablespoons olive oil

　　2 tablespoons wine vinegar

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　¼ teaspoon dry Coleman's Mustard

　　

Step 1

Put the pork up to cook with 4 cups water and simmer for 1½ hours. Remove pork and skim off any fat. 

　　

Step 2

Rinse the lentils and drain, then add them to the broth the pork was cooked in. Cook the lentils for about 25 minutes, or until just tender, then drain them and leave them to cool. 

　　

Step 3

Slice the white section of the scallions very thin and add them to the lentils. 

　　

Step 4

When cold, sprinkle in the dressing made by shaking the oil, vinegar, and seasonings in a screw-topped jar until well mixed. Gently stir the dressing through and leave the lentil salad to marinate for a few hours before serving.

　　From The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Alfred A. Knopf or Amazon.