Cotechino With Lentils
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus overnight lentil soaking time
Cooking time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Serves 3-4
- 1 cotechino sausage
- 2 cups lentils (I used puy lentils), soaked in water overnight
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups stock (I skimmed the fat from the broth from simmering the cotechino)
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
Cotechino can be found at Italian specialty stores. I bought one at Paesanella in Marrickville.
Step 1 - Firstly cook the cotechino. Place a pot of water to boil and then place the cotechino in it. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2.5 hours or until it floats to the top. At this point you can leave it to cool (which I did as I was going out for the day). I also put the simmering stock in the fridge to separate the fat and I used it as stock for making the lentils.
Step 2 - Heat a large pot and heat some oil or fat from the cotechino and saute the onion, carrot and garlic until soft. Add the lentils, bay leaves and stock and place the lid on and bring to a boil and cook with the lid on for 20 minutes. Then remove the lid and cook off the stock for 20 minutes. Season to taste.
Step 3 - Heat a frypan and slice the cotechino. Add a little oil and pan fry the slices so that they are slightly crisp. Ladle the lentils (removing the bay leaves) in a serving dish with parsley and then place the sliced cotechino on top.