Beans Love Pork

Lentils with Cotechino

Lentils and cotechino sausage are a classic pairing and a New Year’s tradition  all over Italy.  I was cooking lentils last week and wanted to serve them with cotechino.  But I only had a few slices of the sausage left from the holidays, not enough to serve them in the classic Italian manner.  So I combined the two for a delicious, hearty side to go with roasted lamb chops.

Audrey loved the lentils, saying they tasted just like those our friend Yael makes.  I don’t know how Yael makes her lentils, but since she’s a vegetarian and my lentils contained both sausage and chicken stock, I think it’s safe to say our cooking methods vary.

Beans and pork are natural partners.  The fat in the cotechino smooths out the texture of the beans and adds depth to their earthy flavor.  If you don’t happen to have a few slices of cotechino hanging around, you could substitute a little cubed pancetta or prosciutto.  Or leave out the pork and chicken stock altogether and up the amount of aromatic vegetables for a vegetarian version.

I used a package black Beluga lentils but green French lentils or regular brown lentils would also work well.  This recipe calls for 14 ounces of lentils (an add amount, I know) because that was the size of the bag I had.  You can vary the amount of lentils; just remember to use twice as much liquid as lentils.  My leftover lentils went into the soup pot the next day.

Black Beluga Lentils...they do look like caviar.

Lentils with Cotechino

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a few slices of cotechino sausage, chopped
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
14 ounces lentils
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 1/2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot but not smoking.  Add the cotechino and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s golden brown (about 5-10 minutes).  Be careful – the fat in the cotechino might pop and splatter so have a lid handy to cover the pan if necessary.

Add the shallot, carrot and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the lentils, stock, water, bay leaf, thyme and salt and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook until the lentils are soft, about 20 minutes, adding a little more water if the lentils start to dry out.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig, taste for seasoning, and serve.  Serves 8 (or 4 with leftovers for soup or salad).