Few people realise that lentils, lenticchie, play an important role in Italian cuisine. Yet they feature in dishes all over Italy – making nourishing soups and stews, as well as featuring in salads or making a simple side dish. They are easy to cook. It is traditional for Italians to eat lentils at New Year, as they are said to symbolise money – so ensuring good fortune for the year ahead.
Roman Dish
Lentils are an ancient pulse and have been cultivated in Italy since Roman times. According to the Oxford Companion to Italian Food, they have been grown since 6000 BC. The Roman writer Apicius apparently had a recipe for lentils which involved cooking them with honey, vinegar, raisins and leeks, as well as herbs such as coriander and rue. In medieval times, it is said that pulses such as lentils were considered to be valuable enough to serve as currency in certain circumstances. That may sound strange, but remember that the same once applied to salt – hence the saying to be ‘worth your salt’.
Lentils from Umbria
The best lentils in Italy are said to come from the town of Castelluccio in Umbria. They’re grown organically on the uplands and are a brown lentil. You should not need to soak this variety before cooking (great if you’re not an organised cook) – though check the instructions on the ones you have beforehand, as there are many varieties of lentil, such as Puy lentils and golden lentils, and you do need to soak some. To cook lentils you usually wash them first, then cover them with cold water, bring them to the boil and then simmer for about 1 ½ hours. Make sure you have sufficient water in the saucepan or they’ll boil dry.
Healthy Side Dish
Lentils can be cooked and served cold in a salad, be used to stuff fish (a popular dish at New Year) and go well with rich meats. Lentil soup makes a warming and nourishing dish on a winter’s day. You might also want to try serving lentils as a side dish with olive oil. You simply cook the lentils for around 1 ½ - 2 hours (pre soaking overnight if necessary). Allow around 300g of lentils for 6 people. Then, when they are soft, drain them and add some ground sea salt, a good slug of olive oil (vary the amount to taste) and some flat leaved parsley. Mix these together with the cooked lentils and serve at once. If you like you can also add a finely chopped garlic clove. It’s a healthy and filling side dish.
 |
