The Sultan's Lentils

6 servings

The tartness of lemon juice plays against the sweet flavors of dried fruits, mint and cinnamon. Serve alongside grilled lamb or chicken like Grilled Lemon & Cinnamon Chicken.

• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 cup bulgur or cracked wheat
• 1/2 cup Red lentils (Buy at your
     local Indian food store)
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest *
• 3 Tablespoons pine nuts,
     toasted and chopped

Bring the 1 1/2 cups water, cinnamon and 1 tsp salt to a boil in a small saucepan; stir in the bulgur, remove from heat, cover and set aside for about 30 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Spread the bulgur out on a baking sheet to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

Now, combine lentils and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt in the small saucepan; add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are just tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water, pressing firmly to remove excess water.

Combine the cooled bulgur and lentils in a large serving bowl with dates, apricots, half the pine nuts, and parsley. Combine the oil, lemon juice and zest and toss into above mixture. Sprinkle with remaining pine nuts.

* Lemon Zest: Lightly grate just the yellow from the lemon making sure you don't go down too far. You do not want to grate the white beneath the yellow.

(The Salad can be made up to a day ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.)

Bon appetit!