Most recipes for basic lentils call for you to cook the legumes with vegetables until the lentils are tender. In the restaurants, we precook the lentils with celery, onions, and garlic, then finish the dish with finely diced vegetables that keep their flavor and texture, adding pancetta for richness and texture. I’m sure that once you try this technique, you won’t go back to the mushy mélange that home cooks usually end up with. The lentils make a nice accompaniment to fish and poultry entrées.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Lentils
Preparation
Step 1
To make the lentils, place all the ingredients in a deep saucepan and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the lentils are al dente. Discard the vegetables. Pour the lentils and their liquid into a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool. When cooled, strain the lentils, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.
Step 2
Heat the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and add the pancetta. Render the fat from the pancetta and saute until slightly crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, shallot, and garlic and cook until tender, an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Add the lentils and the reserved cooking liquid, then bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, stir in the parsley and olive oil, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot.
