GREEN LENTILS
Ingredients:
1 Bay leaf
1 sprig Rosemary
1 sprig Sage [which I didn't have but it tasted fine without it]
250 gr Green Lentils - preferably lenticchie di castelluccio [I "made do" with Puy lentils!]
2 Tbl olive oil
1 white onion - finely chopped
1 carrot - finely chopped
1 celery stick - finely chopped
1 small leek 100g piece unsmoked pancetta*
- Tie herbs together with a string (or - throw in some dried herbs - just as good)
- Soak lentils in cold water whilst finely chopping vegetables
- Heat olive oil in a pan and add chopped vegetables and pancetta.
- Cook, gently stirring for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are soft but not browned.
- Add the drained lentils and tied herbs [!] and cook for 5 minutes, mxing everything. Do not season.
- Add enough vegetable stock to just cover the lentils.
- Bring to the boil, reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes until soft.
- At this point you can set aside and re-heat when needed
If there is any left over, add more stock and serve it as a delicious lentil soup!
Bon appétit!
2 comments:
The slowly sauteed onion-carrot-celery thing is called soffrito and is the basis of a LOT of Italian recipes. It is also supposed to be the key to everlasting health if you eat it 3-4x a week you (or sth like that), i,e. the key to the healthy Mediterranean diet. I use it very often because it gives such a good flavor to just about anything (incl lentils, apparently!)
For the smoky, pancetta-like flavor, a drop of liquid smoke will usually be an appropriate alternative.
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