Warm Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad

Put the olive oil in a heavy sauce pan. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté for a few minutes until lightly golden. Add the lentils and cook for a few more minutes. Add the bay leaf, pour in the chicken stock, cover and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes or until the lentils are soft but still whole and all the liquid has been absorbed. After the lentils are cooked and soft you may need to let them simmer for a bit without the lid to evaporate some of the liquid if it hasn’t all been absorbed—it should not be liquidy when you add the cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the mascarpone cheese.

In a separate pan, melt the butter. Add the spinach and sauté until lightly wilted. Serve over the lentils. Crumble the goat cheese over lentils and spinach and serve immediately.