In discussing lentils, Mr. Vialardi, Chef to King Vittorio Emanuele, notes that they are stimulating and cause sweating, while being non-nutritious and extremely windy, and goes on to say that they're eaten either whole or puréed, and can be served as a side dish with the addition of fresh cream and butter or good concentrated broth. He also tells how to make lentil soup.
Ingredients:
- See Below
Preparation:
Put a kilo (2 1/4 pounds) of lentils in a pot of warm water, skimming off the hollow ones that rise to the surface, and bring the pot to a boil. At this point they'll all rise to the surface, and you'll be able to skim them off with a slotted spoon, transferring them to another pot with salted boiling water, and thus dispose of any stones that may be mixed in with them. Bring the second pot to a boil, and add to it a few leaves of sage, as well as three onions, six leeks, and some celery that you have minced and sautéed until golden in a half pound of unsalted butter [you can reduce the amount of butter here and in any case drain the sautéed vegetables well before adding them to the lentil pot]. Continue cooking everything until the lentils are tender. They'll be better if good broth is used instead of water, and cooked in this manner the soup can be served as is, or with rice, pasta, or croutons.
If you instead blend the soup you obtain a purée that can serve as a base for soups or other dishes.
A note: Mr. Vialardi says to make bean soup the same way, starting with a kilo of dried white beans (soak them overnight), and notes that you can omit the initial boiling because it's easier to pick the stones out of beans.
If you instead blend the soup you obtain a purée that can serve as a base for soups or other dishes.
A note: Mr. Vialardi says to make bean soup the same way, starting with a kilo of dried white beans (soak them overnight), and notes that you can omit the initial boiling because it's easier to pick the stones out of beans.
