Lentils with cotechino, the rich and hearty dish that cannot be missed at the New Year’s Eve dinner, prepared with lentils and cotechino or alternatively with zampone, which one do you prefer? Start with a good plate of lentils, make sure not to use canned ones, they’re awful. Dry lentils cooked quickly are perfect, in about 40 minutes without soaking, with a few simple aromas, onion, carrot, and celery, and if you like, a bit of tomato, either puree or concentrate, and make sure to use little oil, extra virgin olive oil, and better a tablespoon raw. Cotechino is easy to cook, in boiling water in a vacuum-sealed bag, it will take even less time than the lentils, and while they both cook, even in advance, to heat them at the last moment, you can do many other things to prepare a perfect New Year’s Eve dinner. So let’s see in detail how to prepare this traditional dish, essential because it is considered a rich and lucky dish for the new year, as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. In the meantime, I’ll leave you some ideas for tasty appetizers to prepare while the lentils are cooking.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, Christmas
Ingredients for Lentils with Cotechino
- 1 cup dry lentils
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 carrot
- 1/2 stalk celery
- 1/4 cup tomato puree
- to taste salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pre-cooked cotechino
Tools for Preparing Lentils with Cotechino
- 2 Pots
- 1 Colander
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
Steps for Preparing Lentils with Cotechino
Wash the lentils. Put them in a pot and cover with about 2 inches of cold water. Add onion, carrot, and celery, chopped fine or large if you want to remove them later, just to add fragrance. Add a little oil, tomato puree or concentrate, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for about half an hour. Lower the heat to simmer. Check occasionally to ensure there is enough liquid in the pot. If necessary, add hot water, and let it almost dry at the end, I don’t like them too soupy. Turn off when done cooking. They will dry a little with some resting.
Cook the cotechino. You can use pre-cooked cotechino and cook it in its vacuum-sealed bag for the time indicated on the package in boiling water. Let rest a few minutes before slicing.
On a platter, place the lentils, then slice the drained cotechino and place it on the lentils, drizzle with olive oil on the lentils, add two chili and olive oil croutons and serve.
How to adjust the amount to prepare? I considered a generous portion as a main course for 4 people, but for a rich dinner like New Year’s Eve, it’s more than enough for at least 8 people since they’re served as small tastings.
