Recipe: Lentils of Santo Stefano di Sessanio

How to cook black lentils of Santo Stefano di Sessanio. Recipe and photos by: Claudio Del Principe

The pure and simple way:

A hand full of lentils
2 tbsp virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic
Roasted bread cubes

Bring the oil to a medium temperature. Add the the bay leaves and garlic, make sure you do not brown them. Let the flavours come out gently. Approx. 3 minutes.

Add the unsoaked lentils. Cover the lentils with water (double the lentils volume at least). Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils soften. Add salt and ground black pepper.

Place the roasted bread cubes into a plate (do you have day old bread? That will do perfectly). Pour the lentils over the bread and douse generously with virgin olive oil. In addition you can serve some matured pecorino cheese or a nice salsiccia (sausage).

The traditional way: pasta e lenticchie

2 hand fulls of lentils
4 tbsp of virgin olive oil
2 bay leafves
2 cloves of garlic
optional: pancetta or bacon
1/2 peperoncino (or chili)
2 tbsp mashed tomatoes
1 celery root
250 g fresh or dried quadrettini pasta (square shaped)

Bring the oil to a medium temperature. Add bay leaves, garlic, peperoncino, celery root (and the optional pancetta). Do not brown them. Let the flavours come out gently. Approx. 3 minutes. Add the mashed tomatoes and sauté gently for another 3 minutes.  Add the unsoaked lentils.

Cover the lentils with water (doubles the lentils volume). Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils soften. Salt with ground black pepper.

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water “al dente” (keep the water when draining!). Add the pasta to the lentils and fill as much of the reserved pasta water until you get a tempting, shiny soup with an intense aroma.

Article: Claudio Del Principe
Photos: Claudio Del Principe