200g (1 cup) Organic beluga lentils (it works well with brown or Puy lentils too)
1 Onion, thinly diced
3 Garlic cloves, thinly diced
Fresh mint leaves thinly cut (leave a few leaves to decorate)
1 Halloumi cheese, cut in slices
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 Teaspoon sea salt (or salt to taste)
Freshly grounded black pepper (right before serving)
Instructions
Lentils do not require pre-soaking. Just make sure there are no little pebble in between, rinse them very well with cold water and drain. Add them in a pot with enough water to have them well covered and a pinch of salt. Bring them to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for 20 minutes. At this point you should try them to make sure they are already cooked and al dente. You may want to boil them for a couple of extra minutes but be careful to not overcook them.
Once the lentils are ready, remove them from the heat, pour them into a fine sieve to remove the liquid and once drained place them in the frying pan with the garlic and onion. Add the few thinly sliced fresh mint leaves, 2 tablespoons EVOO, salt to taste and mix it all well.
In a hot grill-pan grill the halloumi cheese on both sides.
Serve the lentils mix warm (or allow it to cool during summer) with a couple of grilled halloumi cheese slices on top per person and sprinkle a bit of freshly grounded black pepper.
Notes
For a Vegan option you could replace the grilled halloumi cheese with grilled tofu.
Recipe by Tasty Mediterraneo at https://www.tastymediterraneo.com/beluga-lentils-with-grilled-halloumi-mint/