As the festivities wind down and the year comes to a close, now is the time to eat lots and lots of lentils. Italian tradition says that the more lentils you eat around New Year’s Eve, the more luck, wealth, and prosperity you’ll have for the future! Superstition aside, lentils are incredibly healthy and nutritious. Just what our bodies need after days and days of feasting on rich holiday food.
Bio Alberti Lentils are flavorful on their own, so we’ve dressed them up sparingly to let their nutty, meaty taste shine through. We recommend using an Umbrian olive oil to match the origin of these legumes, but any well-rounded EVOO would do nicely.
Ingredients
TIME: 1 hour
SERVES: 4-6
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp plus additional to serve
- Onion, 1 small, finely chopped
- Carrot, 1 small, scrubbed and finely chopped
- Celery, 1 rib, finely chopped
- Garlic, 1 clove, peeled
- Bio Alberti Lentils, 300g/10.6oz, rinsed
- Water or broth, 1 liter / 4 1/4 cups
- Fresh parsley, a few springs
- Fresh mint, a few leaves
- Fine sea salt, to taste
Preparation
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic clove and cook another 5-8 minutes or so, until the vegetables have softened but remain unbrowned.
- Stir in the lentils, coating them in the vegetables and EVOO, allowing them to toast slightly before adding the broth or water and a few sprigs of parsley.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, uncovered and undisturbed.
- Take off the heat and remove the parsley sprigs and garlic clove. Sprinkle in some fine sea salt and stir. Taste and add more salt if needed. Cover the pot and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile mince the mint leaves with some more fresh parsley.
- To serve, sprinkle with the fresh herbs and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
