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    January 1, 2021

    Pork Sausage and Lentils (Cotechino e Lenticchie)

    Pork Sausage with Lentils is a classic New Year's Day dish in Italy

    Pork Sausage and Lentils
    (Cotechino e Lenticchie)

    Serves 4-6

    Pork Sausage and Lentils is a traditional New Year's dish in Italy.
    Lentils are purported to bring wealth and good fortune. In Lombardy dialect zecchini - coins from the 1500's - were also called lenticchie, which gave rise to lentil's association with prosperity and good health. The best lentils are Italian, especially the Colfiorito lentils. These delicious lentils are from northern Lazio:

    Lentils from northern Lazio


    The best cotechino comes from the Modena area and dates back to the sixteenth century. Legend has it that in 1511 when Mirandola (near Modena) was under attack by Pope Giulio II's armed forces, the local residents butchered their pigs and stored the meat in cotenna (pork skin) and zampe (pig legs), to keep their animals from ending up in the hands of the enemy.
    Cotechino and zampone are both made from lean pork meat, fat and cotenna, delicately flavored with herbs and spices: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg.

    Pork Sausage -cotechino - is a traditional New Year’s dish of lean pork meat delicately flavored with herbs and spices


    In 1999 cotechino from Modena achieved IGP status and as of 2017 the addition of ingredients like MSG and milk solids is no longer permitted. Nowadays when you buy an IGP cotechino from Modena it's lean and delicious!

    Ingredients:

    Pork sausage, 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds)
    Lentils, rinsed, 300 grams (1 ½)
    Carrot, 1 medium, minced
    Celery, 1 stalk, minced
    Onion, ½ medium, minced
    Peperoncino, 1 small
    Olive oil, 40 grams or 44 millileters (3 tablespoons)
    Bay leaves, 4
    Salt, 1 ½ teaspoons

    Procedure:

    Cook the sausage according to package instructions, which will usually be as follows:
    Pierce the pork sausage package on all sides, using a small wooden skewer stick.
    Place in a pot of cold water large enough to cover the entire package.
    Bring the water to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes or according to package instructions.
    Sauté the carrot, celery and onion in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes.
    Stir in the lentils, peperoncino and bay leaves, and cover with salted water so the lentils are covered with 1 cm (½ inch) of water atop the lentils as they cook. Add more water as necessary.
    Cook the lentils according to package instructions or until just tender.
    Remove the pork sausage from the package and slice into 1 centimeter wide slices.
    Place the lentils in a serving dish and add the sliced sausage.
    Add additional salt to taste.
    Heat thoroughly in the oven before serving the Pork Sausage and Lentils.

    Try this great New Year's Eve dessert treat!

    Interested in what was happening in Rome during the 2019 holiday season? Take a look!

    Pork Sausage with Lentils is a classic New Year's Day dish in Italy

    Pork Sausage and Lentils

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
    The best cotechino comes from the Modena area and dates back to the sixteenth century. Legend has it that in 1511 when Mirandola (near Modena) was under attack by Pope Giulio II's armed forces, the local residents butchered their pigs and stored the meat in cotenna (pork skin) and zampe (pig legs), to keep their animals from ending up in the hands of the enemy.
    Cotechino and zampone are both made from lean pork meat, fat and cotenna, delicately flavored with herbs and spices: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg.
    In 1999 cotechino from Modena achieved IGP status and effective 2017 the addition of ingredients like MSG and milk solids is no longer permitted. Nowadays when you buy an IGP cotechino from Modena it's lean and delicious!
     
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: holiday, lentils, new years, sausage
    Servings: 4

    Ingredients 

    • 1 kilogram Pork sausage
    • 300 grams Lentils rinsed
    • 1 Carrot minced
    • 1 Celery minced
    • ½ Onion medium, minced
    • 1 Peperoncino small
    • 40 grams Olive oil
    • 4 Bay leaves
    • 1 ½ tsp Salt

    Instructions

    • Cook the sausage according to package instructions, which will usually be as follows:
    • Pierce the pork sausage package on all sides, using a small wooden skewer stick.
    • Place in a pot of cold water large enough to cover the entire package.
    • Bring the water to a simmer and cook 15 minutes or according to package instructions.
    • Sauté the carrot, celery and onion in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes.
    • Stir in the lentils, peperoncino and bay leaves, and cover with salted water so the lentils are covered with 1 cm (½ inch) of water atop the lentils as they cook. Add more water as necessary.
    • Cook the lentils according to package instructions or until just tender.
    • Remove the pork sausage from the package and slice into slices 1 centimeter (½ inch) wide.
    • Place the lentils in a serving dish and add the sliced sausage and salt to taste.
    • Heat thoroughly in the oven before serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 150g | Calories: 4510kcal | Carbohydrates: 193g | Protein: 230g | Fat: 309g | Saturated Fat: 94g | Cholesterol: 720mg | Sodium: 6456mg | Potassium: 5725mg | Fiber: 95g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 11237IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 307mg | Iron: 34mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    The classic New Year's dish: pork sausage and lentils (cotechino e lenticchie)

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    The classic New Year's dish: pork sausage and lentils (cotechino e lenticchie)

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    About

    Wendy at Roscioli
    I’m American and I’ve lived in Italy for nearly four decades with my Italian family. My passion and strength lies in sharing Italian stories, recipes and unique travel insights on my blog, my Flavor of Italy trips and tours, newsletter and podcast. Continue Reading...

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