Lentil Salad * - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb. dried lentils (approximately 2 c.)
1 peeled onion, stuck with 2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. salt
freshly milled pepper
1 tsp. cumin (ground)
1/2 c. garlicky vinaigrette dressing
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1 Tbsp. parsley, minced

Preparation

Wash and pick over lentils.
Put them in a pot with 1 1/2 quarts of cold water, the onion, bay leaf, salt, pepper and cumin. Bring the beans to a boil; turn off the heat and let stand 1 hour. Then simmer about 5 minutes, or until just tender.
Lentils used to take hours to cook, but most are processed now and the problem is to avoid mushiness.
(If you accidentally overcook them, you can turn the disaster in a good soup or pureed vegetable.)
Drain the lentils and discard the onion and bay leaf.
After cooling to room temperature, dress them with the vinaigrette and garnish with the eggs and parsley.