Rice and Lentil Soup, or Riso e Lenticchie: This lentil soup recipe is from Lazio, and will serve 6.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (400 g) dried green lentils
- 1 pound (400 g) rice
- 4 ounces (100 g) cured lard or prosciutto fat
- A small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- A 6-inch stick of celery
- A couple of blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (canned will work)
- Olive oil
- Broth (bullion will be fine)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Soak your lentils overnight. Change the water and boil them for about a half hour in abundant, lightly salted water. While they're cooking, mince the fat, onion, celery and garlic, and sauté the mixture in a pot until the onion is lightly browned. Add the tomato and a ladle or two of broth, and continue cooking for a few minutes. By now the lentils will have cooked a half hour; drain them, reserving the lentil broth, and stir them into the pot with the onion mixture. Bring the pot back to a boil, adding some of the reserved lentil broth if need be, and stir in the rice. Continue to cook, stirring, until the rice is done, adding more lentil broth as need be; it should be a thick soup, not something dry that one could eat with a fork. When it's done dust it with freshly ground black pepper to taste.Serve with extravirgin olive oil your guests can drizzle over their soup. Cheese would be out of place here.
The wine? A white from the Colli Albani would be nice.
