carrot, the celery, and the onion half and cover with cold water by
at least an inch. Bring up the heat slowly to a simmer* and cook
the lentils until just al dente, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, discard the
vegetables, and set the lentils aside.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil with the pancetta over medium-
high heat until very hot and the pancetta starts to render. Allow it
to cook until the pancetta is crisp and has released most of its fat,
4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the pancetta to a plate and add the chopped carrot and
celery and the diced onion. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and
the maple sugar; cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, fry for a minute, then add the anchovies and
the garlic*. Cook until the anchovies dissolve and the garlic just
starts to brown, another 2 minutes or so.
Pat the lentils dry and add them to the pan, frying them in the
hot oil until they start to crisp up a bit, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the pancetta and the kale and cook, stirring, for another 2
minutes. If the lentils are getting too brown, you can add some
water at this point.
Taste for seasoning, squeeze the lemon juice over everything,
and drizzle with the great olive oil. Serve hot.
* Pomeroy left these whole, but I like to slice them.* This is Pomeroy’s replacement for the cubed lamb belly she
regularly uses. “Most people aren’t going to have lamb belly,”