Lentils are a cheap and tasty food full of vitamins and proteins, so it is good to have them on the menu often. But, everything that is eaten often, we get bored quickly. Fortunately, lentils can be prepared in many ways, and one comes from our neighborhood.
Lenticchie in umido is an Italian dish whose name translates to lentils stewed or cooked in sauce. It can be eaten as a side dish, especially with sausages or cotechino, but also as an independent dish or pasta sauce. It is a simple dish with a base of onions, carrots, celery, olive oil, tomatoes and herbs, but a very important ingredient is yeast.
A little red wine vinegar is usually added at the end, not to make the dish sour, but to enhance the taste. Acid does what salt can’t: it refreshes the dish, brings out the aroma and prevents the lentils from being monotonous. When cooking lentils and chickpeas, it is good to add vinegar only after cooking, because acid added too early can slow down softening.
Lenticchie in umido
Ingredients
300 g of dry green or brown lentils
400 g of pureed tomatoes
800 ml of water or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
1 clove of garlic
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary
salt, pepper
Preparation
Rinse the lentils under cold water. Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery.
Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the onion, carrot, celery and a whole clove of garlic. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add lentils, pureed tomato, bay leaf and rosemary and pour water or vegetable stock.
Cook, covered, over low heat for 35-45 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Stir from time to time and if necessary add a little more water or stock, depending on whether you want a thicker or thinner dish.
Towards the end of cooking, add salt and pepper. When the lentils are soft, remove the garlic, bay leaf and rosemary. Stir in red wine vinegar and taste. If necessary, add a little more salt, pepper or olive oil.
