350 gm small dried lentils
60 ml (1⁄4 cup) olive oil
75 gm diced mild pancetta
2 banana shallots or large
golden shallots, very
thinly sliced
12 sage leaves, torn
150 gm sun-dried tomatoes
1 litre (4 cups) hot
vegetable stock1 Put the lentils in a sieve
and rinse under running water.
Set aside while you prepare
the soffritto.
2 Heat the oil in a large
frying pan over medium heat,
add pancetta and stir for
2-3 minutes until pancetta is
golden and crisp. Add shallot
and sage and cook, stirring
often, for 5-7 minutes. Add
the sun-dried tomatoes and
continue to cook for a further
2-3 minutes.
3 Add lentils, and let them
cook in soffritto for 2-3 minutes,
while you stir them around. Pour
in hot stock and season with
salt to taste. Cook until lentils
are tender – this will take
about 20-30 minutes for
Castelluccio and Puy varieties
and a little longer for common
or garden green lentils. Season
to taste and serve hot.LENTICCHIE IN UMIDO COI POMODORI SECCHI
Stewed lentils with sun-dried tomatoes
SERVES 4
“Lentils are so often my saviour for an impromptu dinner,” says Del Conte. “I always
keep some canned lentils on hand; sometimes they are Puy, sometimes Castelluccio
(from Italy and just as good as Puy, but they are more difficult to find), and sometimes
just common or garden green lentils. Tomatoes are frequently cooked with lentils.
In this recipe sun-dried tomatoes are used to give a stronger flavour. To make a
vegetarian version, eliminate the pancetta and increase the amount of oil to 100ml.”