Cotechino and lentils, a typical recipe of our tradition especially during the holiday season and particularly prepared for New Year’s Eve dinner as a symbol of prosperity for the new year.
The basic preparation for cooking lentils is then used to make excellent soups by simply adding a little short pasta like ‘cannolicchi’ to the obtained broth.
Lentils do not need to be boiled in advance, but we will start with a classic sauté with a bit of tomato to which we will then add the lentils and as much water as needed to cook them.
The cotechino is available in the market already prepared and seasoned; it will be sufficient to follow the instructions on the package to boil it properly, usually, it is immersed with its sealed bag in boiling water for about 20 minutes.
Cotechino with lentils is a very tasty dish that is normally appreciated even by children; obviously, it contains fats, but by completely removing the fat that the cotechino releases when boiled, we will still obtain a balanced dish.
Let’s prepare cotechino with lentils together following the recipe my mother taught me, and it will not be difficult at all.
I also remind you of other popular recipes that may prove useful for family meals
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 587.92 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 30.45 (g) of which sugars 3.01 (g)
- Proteins 25.30 (g)
- Fat 40.70 (g) of which saturated 0.80 (g)of which unsaturated 0.48 (g)
- Fibers 7.78 (g)
- Sodium 1,630.81 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 300 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
The main ingredients of this recipe are obviously the lentils, which I recommend buying the classic ones and not the peeled ones, and the cotechino for which I recommend purchasing the classic pre-cooked ones.
- 1/2 onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 1/2 carrot
- 9 oz dried lentils
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 piccadilly tomatoes
- to taste coarse salt
- 1 1/2 qt water
- 1 pre-cooked cotechino (medium)
- 1/2 onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 1/2 carrot
- 1 can tomato pulp
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste coarse salt
- to taste chili pepper
Tools
For cooking the lentils, I recommend a pot with high edges. For reheating them, use a non-stick pot with high edges.
- 1 Pot aeternum
- 1 Saucepan Moneta
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
Preparation
The preparation of cotechino with lentils, as we have already said, is divided into two fundamental steps. The first is to cook and boil lentils and cotechino, then they need to be reheated together.
While preparing the lentils, you can boil the cotechino following the instructions and cooking times on the package. Normally it is boiled in boiling water for about 20 minutes, but now there are more practical ones available that can be cooked only in the microwave.
Take the pot with higher edges, the ones used for boiling pasta, and pour in the chopped onion, carrot, and celery you have previously diced on the cutting board. Add the tablespoon of oil and place on the stove over moderate heat to sauté.
When they are golden, add the diced piccadilly tomatoes, the lentils you have previously checked and rinsed under running water. Lightly salt and let cook for a couple of minutes, no more.
Keeping the pot on the stove, add all the water, adjust the salt, and bring to a boil. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and let it simmer until the lentils are cooked. Lentils are cooked when tasting them, their interior is soft; it will take about 35/40 minutes. When the lentils are cooked, turn off the heat.
Take the non-stick saucepan and proceed to a new sauté, always adding chopped carrot, onion, and celery. Add oil and this time a bit of chili pepper. Place on the stove over moderate heat and let it brown, then add the tomato pulp and most of the lentils you cooked earlier. Adjust the salt and start reheating everything over moderate heat.
Leave a small portion of lentils in the broth; it can be useful for preparing an excellent first course.
In the photo, you also see sausages because at our house not everyone eats cotechino, so for them, after the sauté, I add some sausages, let them brown, and then add the tomato.
When you add the lentils, do not drain them too much from the cooking broth because it will be needed to better amalgamate the ingredients.
The sauce that should remain at the end of cooking should not be too thick; otherwise, add a little cooking broth.
After cooking, the cotechino should be removed from its bag, and all the fat released should be discarded. Slice it into thick slices; otherwise, it will break apart and pour it into the pot with the lentils and sauce.
Let all the ingredients reheat for about 15/20 minutes, then turn off and enjoy!
NOTES
This is truly a traditional homemade dish and, for this reason, it should adapt to all our simple needs, foremost among them not wasting food. Therefore, as already indicated, it will be enough to leave some lentils in the leftover broth, bring everything to a boil, pour in short pasta like ‘cannolicchi’ or ‘gnocchetti sardi’, and you will see what an excellent first course you can obtain. Perhaps adding a bit of chopped chili pepper and pecorino cheese directly to the plate for those who like it.
As you have already read in the procedure, for children or those who do not love cotechino, it is possible in the same saucepan to add small sausages. However, let them brown in the sauté before adding the tomato sauce.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible not to use tomato?
You can reheat lentils with cotechino without using tomato sauce; however, help yourself with the cooking broth to still keep a soft preparation where you can mop up with bread.
Which type of lentils is recommended?
Normally I use small unpeeled lentils because, after all, it is a preparation that requires about an hour to thoroughly blend the flavors. So use the lentils you prefer as long as they are not peeled.
