How to cook lentils?

The stewed lentils are a healthy and tasty side dish much loved. Traditionally the protagonist of the New Year’s Eve dinner, this is an easy recipe to make and offers a delicious dish, good to eat on any occasion. It can be served with meat main courses but also as a first course.

How to cook lentils?

Together with cotechino and zampone, stewed lentils are the symbolic dish of the New Year’s Eve dinner, traditionally served on the night of the transition to the new year as an auspicious food “brings money” and brings good luck. From a nutritional point of view, lentils are actually very precious, as they are rich in vegetable proteins, fibres and iron. Lentils are therefore a food which is strongly recommended to consume.

Stewed lentils are obviously an excellent side dish for sausages and pork-based main courses. This same recipe can vary with the simple addition of spices or herbs: curry, paprika, turmeric, and ginger go well with them, as well as rosemary, thyme and marjoram.

Bottom Line

Lentils are used in cooking more or less like other legumes: they often end up as an ingredient in soups and soups. This Cream of lentils includes both green and red ones. Thanks to their size, lentils are ideal for preparing vegetarian or vegan alternatives of meat sauce and meatballs, such as maltagliati with lentil ragout  and  lentil and rice balls . The recipes with lentils  are therefore very varied and always tasty.

1. The first step to make stewed lentils is to soak the dried lentils in cold water for a few hours. Eliminate those that have come to the surface, drain all the others and collect them in a saucepan. Cover them with cold water and boil for 1 hour. Clean the vegetables and cut them into very small cubes. Heat three tablespoons of oil in a pan, season the sage leaf with the bacon and add the diced vegetables. After 10 minutes, add the chopped tomato pulp, or three fresh, red and ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes. Adjust salt and pepper, cook for 15 minutes.
2. Drain the boiled lentils, transfer them to the sauté pan. Stir and let them a flavour for at least 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, transfer to a serving dis,h and immediately serve the stewed lentils.

Also read: how to write in cursive