Black Lentil Salad with Telemea Cheese and Arugula

Start by boiling the lentils. Rinse them under cold running water, then place them in a spacious pot and pour 800 ml of vegetable broth over them. Add the dried thyme, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer the lentils for 23–25 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape.

While the lentils are cooking, prepare the vegetables: cut the bell pepper into thin strips, the radishes into fine rounds, and finely chop the peeled yellow onion.

Once the lentils are cooked, drain them well, rinse briefly with cold water to stop the cooking process, and place them in a large bowl. Add the bell pepper, radishes, onion, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix everything well. Finally, crumble the telemea cheese on top, add the arugula and the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix again, this time more gently, so as not to completely crush the cheese.