Appetizer
Creamed lentil cups with breadcrumbs, cotechino and Terra di Bari PDO extra virgin olive oil
4
people
40 minutes
(cooking time)
1 hour 10 minutes
(total time)
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
small lentils | 200 g |
cloves of garlic | 2 |
onion | 1 |
carrot | 1 |
stick of celery | 1 |
vegetable stock | |
teaspoon of cumin | ½ |
teaspoon of sweet paprika | ½ |
small piece of fresh ginger root | 1 |
spoonfuls of tomato paste | 2 |
TERRA DI BARI PDO EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL | |
Fresh mint | |
fresh parsley | |
lemon | 1 |
small cotechino | 1 |
stale bread | 100 g |
salt | |
pepper |
Instructions
Cook the cotechino by following the instructions on the pack if it is precooked, or by boiling it for about an hour and a half if it is fresh. Finely chop the onion, celery and carrot and one clove of garlic.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry this mixture gently for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste, the spices and the grated ginger, continue cooking to absorb the flavors then add the washed, drained lentils. Cover with the hot stock, bring to the boil and continue cooking over a low heat for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are cooked. Stir occasionally while cooking to ensure that the lentils do not dry out too much; add a ladle of stock if necessary.
When cooked, add salt and pepper as required and also add spices to taste. Set aside a ladle of lentils for the garnish and blend the rest of the soup. In the meantime, cut the bread into large chunks and blend coarsely with half a clove of garlic and a small bunch of parsley. Season with a pinch of salt and transfer to a hot frying-pan with the olive oil. Fry over low heat until golden brown. Season the warm creamed lentils with the juice of half a lemon and the chopped mint and pour into the cups. Dice the warm cotechino and gently place it on top of the creamed lentils.
Complete with a few of the lentils set aside, the breadcrumbs and a dribble of oil and serve.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry this mixture gently for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste, the spices and the grated ginger, continue cooking to absorb the flavors then add the washed, drained lentils. Cover with the hot stock, bring to the boil and continue cooking over a low heat for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are cooked. Stir occasionally while cooking to ensure that the lentils do not dry out too much; add a ladle of stock if necessary.
When cooked, add salt and pepper as required and also add spices to taste. Set aside a ladle of lentils for the garnish and blend the rest of the soup. In the meantime, cut the bread into large chunks and blend coarsely with half a clove of garlic and a small bunch of parsley. Season with a pinch of salt and transfer to a hot frying-pan with the olive oil. Fry over low heat until golden brown. Season the warm creamed lentils with the juice of half a lemon and the chopped mint and pour into the cups. Dice the warm cotechino and gently place it on top of the creamed lentils.
Complete with a few of the lentils set aside, the breadcrumbs and a dribble of oil and serve.
