I lately dug by way of my pantry to seek out my Umbrian lentils to make my yearly New 12 months’s Day lentil soup and realized that I had a surplus of lentils that wanted for use as quickly as doable. I convey again Umbrian merchandise with yearly once we return from Italy, and apparently previously yr or two I’ve been bringing again extra lentils than I’ve been utilizing! Castelluccio is the small village in Umbria the place lentils are grown that sits excessive up within the Apennine Mountains vary of central Italy.
Together with lentils, Castelluccio is legendary for its yearly fioritura, or fields of wildflowers that take over the lentil fields alongside the toes of the Sibillini mountains yearly through the early summer season months. Sadly, this distinctive village was all however destroyed within the final earthquake that hit Umbria final yr, so I’m not positive how that can have an effect on the lentil manufacturing sooner or later.
The lentils from this space are small beige lentils much like the French inexperienced lentils from the Puy area of France. These lentils prepare dinner up shortly with out changing into mushy and are nice utilized in soups, salads, or as a facet dish. You should utilize any small lentils on this recipe, simply steer clear of the bigger purple lentils which develop into mushy when cooked.
Wanting over my recipes, I made a decision to braise a few of my lentil bounty together with some sausage and kale to create a whole meal in a pot. It is a hearty dish that mixed with a crisp blended salad of contemporary greens, and a loaf of crusty Italian bread is a whole meal that anybody would take pleasure in.
I had some spicy Italian pork sausages within the freezer that I wished to make use of up, however you could possibly use a gentle Italian pork sausage, and even an Italian flavored turkey sausage in the event you wished to make the dish lighter. We completely loved this dish and as we dined we toasted Caselluccio. Hopefully the city will probably be rebuilt shortly, and can as soon as once more develop into a preferred vacationer vacation spot.
The Fioritura, superb fields of wildflowers within the Piano Grande lentil fields.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Elements
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion, Peeled & Diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves, Peeled & Minced
- 4 Medium Sized Italian Sausage Hyperlinks, Meat Eliminated From Casings (See Notes Above)
- 1 Pound Lentils (See Notes Above)
- Vegetable or Rooster Broth
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- Salt & Pepper To Style
- 1 1/2 Cups Finely Chopped Kale
Directions
- Warmth oil over medium warmth in a big heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Add the onion, and prepare dinner, stirring typically, till the onions are translucent, about 5 to six minutes.
- Add the garlic and sausage meat, and prepare dinner till the meat is now not pink, breaking it up into small items with two forks because it cooks, about 6 to 7 minutes.
- Add the lentils and pour in sufficient broth to only cowl.
- Stir within the oregano and produce to a boil, then scale back the warmth to a simmer and prepare dinner till the lentils are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, then stir within the kale and prepare dinner one other 5 minutes or till the kale is tender.
- Serve heat with some crusty Italian bread.
