Lenticchie con Cavolo Nero (Braised Lentils and Kale)
Adapted from Via Carota: A Celebration of Seasonal Cooking from the Beloved Greenwich Village Restaurant by Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, this Umbrian braise is soulful and satsifying. It’s also easy to put together, and it makes the kitchen smell wonderful.
Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
4 large leaves lacinato (Tuscan) kale
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 fresh sage leaf
1 cup finely diced pancetta or guanciale (about 4 ounces / 115 grams)
1 onion, finely diced (about 1/4 inch / 6 mm)
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 1/3 cups / 265 grams Umbrian black (Castelluccio) or French green (du Puy) lentils, rinsed well
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Strip the kale leaves from the stems, finely chop the stems and cut the leaves into wide pieces. Set aside.
2. Pour the olive oil into medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the garlic and sage. Heat over medium until the garlic is aromatic, but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pancetta or guanciale and render the fat, about 3 minutes. Stir in the onions, carrots, celery and kale stems and season with the salt and 8 or 10 grinds of pepper. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in the kale leaves, coating them with fat.
3. Add the lentils and enough water to cover them by about 1 inch / 2.5 cm. Bring to a simmer over high heat, stir the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low, to simmer gently. Cook partially covered until the lentils are tender but retain their texture, about 40 or 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Lenticchie con Cavolo Nero (Braised Lentils and Kale)
Ingredients
- 4 large leaves lacinato (Tuscan) kale
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 fresh sage leaf
- 1 cup finely diced pancetta or guanciale (about 4 ounces / 115 grams)
- 1 onion, finely diced (about 1/4 inch / 6 mm)
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1 1/3 cups / 265 grams Umbrian black (Castelluccio) or French green (du Puy) lentils, rinsed well
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Strip the kale leaves from the stems, finely chop the stems and cut the leaves into wide pieces. Set aside.
- Pour the olive oil into medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the garlic and sage. Heat over medium until the garlic is aromatic, but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pancetta or guanciale and render the fat, about 3 minutes. Stir in the onions, carrots, celery and kale stems and season with the salt and 8 or 10 grinds of pepper. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in the kale leaves, coating them with fat.
- Add the lentils and enough water to cover them by about 1 inch / 2.5 cm. Bring to a simmer over high heat, stir the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low, to simmer gently. Cook partially covered until the lentils are tender but retain their texture, about 40 or 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
