Lentils Castellucciano
We exclusively use Umbrian lentils in our restaurants, which are smaller than common brown lentils and are various shades of brown to green. Castelluccio, the town where the lentils come from, is a two-and-a-half-hour, winding, hilly drive over the Apennine Mountains from my house. Once you get there, you don’t feel like you’re in Umbria—or Italy—at all. There are no sunflowers. No rolling green hills. The landscape is crater-like, with fields and fields of flowering lentils. It feels more like you’re on the moon, or in Oz. When I visited with a group of friends, we ate lunch at the one trattoria in town. Of course they offered lentils, and I was surprised to find them cooked in a much heartier way than I had ever seen lentils prepared before, almost like a stew or a ragù, with pork sausage, another delicacy of that region. This is Matt’s rendition of the lentils we had that day.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Preparation
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or a stockpot over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the prosciutto and cook to render the fat but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is fragrant, stirring constantly to prevent it from browning. Move the vegetables to create a bare spot in the pan, add the tomato paste to that spot, and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to caramelize the tomato paste slightly. Add the lentils and 3 cups of the stock; increase the heat to high and bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the lentils, stirring occasionally, until most of the stock is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Add 2 more cups of the stock and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Continue to cook the lentils in this way, adding 1 or 2 cups of stock as necessary so the lentils are covered and soupy but not drowning, until they are tender and creamy, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. If you have used all the liquid and the lentils are not done, continue cooking, using water in place of stock. When the lentils are done, if there is too much liquid in the pan, increase the heat to medium to cook it off until the lentils are creamy but not soupy. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if desired. (You can prepare the lentils to this point up to three days in advance. Set the lentils aside to cool to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate the lentils until you are ready to serve them. Just before serving, warm the lentils over medium heat, stirring often and adding enough water to loosen the lentils to a creamy consistency.) Drizzle the finishing-quality olive oil into the lentils, stirring vigorously, until the lentils are creamy and emulsified, about 1 minute. Serve warm or at room temperature.
