Castelluccio lentils

Umbrian lentils with honeynut squash and vegetables / lenticchie umbre con zucca e verdure

| Simona
A plate of Umbrian lentils with honeynut squash and dark leafy greens
Small lentils with big personality
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the memoir Bite by Bite by Aimee Nezhukumatathil.1 The book is a collection of 40 short essays, each centered on a specific food, ranging from fruit (lots of fruit, including rambutan, figs and mango), to spices (cinnamon, vanilla — cannella, vaniglia) to dishes, like lumpia and leche flan. Using the title food as starting point, each essay blends memories, meditations on aspects of life, and information about the food, in an evocative, lyrical language. The title aptly describes the way the book is presented and read.

Before selecting this book for our club, I knew and appreciated the author’s poetry, but was not familiar with her essays. I like how she uses a food to start a thread that weaves through memories with factual details sprinkled in. Reading most of the essays engendered a similar process for me. For example, the opening essay on rambutan made me travel to the Big Island and its wonderful farmers’ market, where, among many other fruit, you can find clusters of sweet, juicy rambutan.

clusters of rambutan
rambutan at a farmers’ market on the Big Island

The book doesn’t include recipes and rather than by one of the foods, I was inspired by the time of year and the food memory it elicited. To celebrate the New Year (Capodanno), I followed the tradition of eating lentils. My mother always prepared a pot of the delicious small lentils typical of my home region, lenticchie di Castelluccio. She cooked them with local sausages, another typical food.

I usually bring back a bag of lentils when I visit Italy. Besides the famous Castelluccio lentils, Colfiorito lentils are also grown in Umbria. They are likewise small, fast cooking and deeply flavored. Below is a photo from my favorite store in downtown Perugia, Antica Spezieria e Drogheria Eredi Bavicchi,2 where I purchase this and other specialty legumes.

Colfiorito lentils
Colfiorito lentils, Umbrian delicacy

Besides the lentils, the dish includes honeynut squash and an assortment of leafy vegetables. For the latter, I use what I find at the farmers’ market, trying to create a balanced mix of flavors. Examples include: rainbow chard, red beet greens, radicchio di Treviso. Having one component of the dish variable means each time I make the dish it tastes unique. Note that in the case of rainbow chard and red beet greens, I cook also the stems, which I particularly like.

Umbrian lentils with honeynut squash and vegetables

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Time to cook the lentils 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the lentils
  • 1/2 cup / 100 grams / 3 1/2 ounces Castelluccio lentils OR Colfiorito lentils OR other small lentils (like de Puy or black beluga) sorted and rinsed
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons / 270 ml water
  • 1 garlic clove unpeeled
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the dish
  • 4 ounces / 112 grams leek white and light green portion, clean weight (set aside the darker green portion to make broth or stock)
  • 8 ounces / 225 grams honeynut squash
  • 2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound / 450 grams combination of vegetables (mostly leafy greens): for example, rainbow chard, Swiss chard red beet greens, radicchio di Treviso, salad turnip greens
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon Harissa spice mix
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste

Equipment

  • lidded 5-Qt cast-iron Dutch oven

Method
 

  1. Place all the ingredients for the lentils except the salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook on low heat, covered, until lentils are tender.
  2. Check after 20 minutes and estimate the time necessary to complete the cooking. If the lentils look dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of hot water.
  3. When the lentils are done, add the salt and stir. Remove from the heat, retreive and discard the garlic and bay leaf and set aside.
  4. Cut the leek in half lengthwise and slice into 1/8 inch / 3 mm half-moons. Rinse well in a colander, then place in a bowl and fill it with cold water. With your hands, swirl the leek to clean, then scoop out of the water with a sieve or slotted spoon and drain in a colander.
  5. Peel and deseed the squash. I use a sturdy swivel vegetable peeler to peel the squash and a grapefruit spoon to remove the seeds.
  6. Cut the squash into small bite-sized pieces, no more than ½ inch / 1.25 cm.
  7. Wash and drain the vegetables, leaving a bit of water clinging to the leaves. Separate the stems from the leaves of chard and red beet greens and chop the stems.
  8. Halve the leaves lengthwise, stack 5-6 at a time and cut them into 1-inch / 2.5-cm wide ribbons.
  9. Warm up a lidded 5-qt cast-iron Dutch oven. Add the olive oil. When hot, add the leek, stir well, cook for 1 minute, then turn down the heat. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 4 minutes, stirring often and making sure the pan does not become dry.
  10. Add the garlic and Harissa to the pan and stir well.
  11. After 1 minute, turn up the heat to medium, add the cut squash and stir well. Turn down the heat, cover and cook for 2 minutes.
  12. Turn up the heat to medium, add the chopped stems, stir well and cover. Turn the heat down and cook until the squash is just tender, 6 minutes.
  13. Turn up the heat to medium, add the sliced leaves and cover. Turn the heat down and let the leaves wilt for 1 minute, then stir well.
  14. Cover and cook the vegetables on gentle heat for 10 minutes or so, until tender, stirring every now and then.
  15. Turn up the heat to medium, add the lentils and their liquid (the amount should be small) to the pan and stir well. Cover and turn down the heat to low.
  16. Continue cooking for 4 minutes or so, until the lentils are heated through.
  17. Add the sea salt, give it a final stir and take off the heat. Serve warm.

Notes

If you purchase rainbow or Swiss chard with long stems included, use up to 6-7 inches / 15-18 cm for this dish and save the rest for another dish. Do not discard them: they are delicious, and so are red beet green stems.
A plate of Umbrian lentils with honeynut squash and dark leafy greens
Earthy flavors, great nutrition
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

This dish brings me to my home region and makes me feel I keep alive an ancient tradition.

1 The book’s page on the publisher’s website
2 The Antica Spezieria e Drogheria Eredi Bavicchi
3 An unpeeled garlic clove is called uno spicchio d’aglio in camicia (where in camicia literally means: with the shirt on)

Click on the Play button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

Cook the Books logoThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by me, Simona of briciole. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Copyright © 2007 – 2026 Simona Carini. All rights reserved.

recipe: lentil spread

| Simona

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lentil spread / crema (da spalmare) di lenticchie

| Simona

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[versione in italiano]

lentil spread and raw lentils
small lentils, big flavor
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

After reading the first six Adam Dalgliesh novels by P.D. James in order of publication, I skipped to #11 Death in Holy Orders which I purchased some time ago at a library sale. Then last month, at a local bookstore, I picked The Lighthouse which is #13 (2005). Death in Holy Orders ended with Commander Dalgliesh (Metropolitan Police Service at New Scotland Yard) in love with Emma Lavenham and I was glad to see her still in his life in The Lighthouse. 

I love P.D. James’s novels: her writing is evocative, exact, engaging. I particularly enjoy her descriptions of landscapes and interiors. James’s descriptive skills are in full display in The Lighthouse which is set in the (fictional) Combe Island off the Cornish coast ‘a restful haven for the elite’. The immediate reason for Dalgliesh’s presence on Combe is the violent death of a famous novelist, Nathan Oliver. One of the plot’s twists is provided by one of the island’s guests falling gravely ill and being diagnosed with SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)2

a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). SARS was first reported in Asia in February 2003. The illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia before the SARS global outbreak of 2003 was contained. 

Dalgliesh also falls ill and I will stop here before I reveal too much. I admit is was a bit chilling to read about that SARS-CoV. But the novel is intense and masterfully written: P.D. James spins her tale slowly and meticulously, keeping the reader engaged until the last line.

Given that Combe Island is a retreat for rich and powerful people, the food is formal and not particularly intriguing. What inspired me are various occasions in the story where characters come together: there are beverages (wine or tea), but never a bite to eat. I wanted to enter the story and bring a tray with foods, like a spread with crackers.

sesame seeds raw and toasted / IMG_5211

sesame seeds toasted and raw

In my archives I have recipes for spreads made with beans (fagioli) and chickpeas (ceci) but not lentils, so I started experimenting with those, using some ingredients from the recipe for hummus. I made tahini using toasted sesame seeds: I like the aroma of roasted sesame seeds and making tahini is quick and satisfying.

I stock up on lentils when I visit my home town of Perugia. The two special varieties grown in Umbria are lenticchia di Castelluccio and lenticchia dell’Altopiano di Colfiorito. Both are small with tender skin and cook relatively quickly. Their delicate, earthy flavor is a delight. 

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Lentil spread

Ingredients for toasted sesame tahini:

  • 1 cup /150 g / 5 1/4 ounces white sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Ingredients for the lentils:

  • 1/2 cup / 100 g / 3 1/2 ounces Colfiorito lentils OR Castelluccio lentils OR other small lentils
  • 1 cup / 240 ml water
  • A small bay leaf
  • 1 garlic cloves, peeled

Ingredients for the lentil spread:

  • Cooked lentils (ingredients above, method below)
  • 2 tablespoons / 30 ml toasted sesami tahini (recipe below)
  • 1 tablespoon / 15 ml fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon harissa mix
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
  • Additional water to achieve desired consistency, as needed

How to make toasted sesame tahini
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until they are tanned and fragrant. This will take just a few minutes. Shake the skillet often or stir the seeds with a spatula. Guard the seeds like a hawk as they burn easily. Transfer the seeds to a plate and let cool completely.

Process the sesame seeds in a small food processor or blender until a thick paste forms. Add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add sea salt and process briefly to distribute. Transfer the tahini to a glass jar, cover with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.

How to cook the lentils
Sort the lentils, rinse them, then place them in a small saucepan with the water, bay leaf and garlic. Cover the saucepan and quickly bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and let the lentils simmer, covered, until they are tender, 20-30 minutes, as needed. Check after 15-20 minutes and estimate the time necessary to complete the cooking. Add the salt when the lentils are almost cooked.

Remove and discard the bay leaf and garlic. Let the lentils cool in the saucepan.

How to make the lentil spread
Place the cooked lentils in a food processor. Add all the other ingredients: tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, spices and salt. Process until creamy, adding water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. I keep it fairly dense to serve it as part of a main dish combination (see below).

Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate. Take the bowl out of the refrigerator ahead of serving the spread.

Serve with crackers and/or fresh vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces as appetizer, or spoon on plate to accompany other dishes, like a salad or a slice of frittata).

Serves 4

1 Review of the novel in the NY Times
2 SARS page on the CDC website
3 Recipes from briciole’s archive: fasole bătută, refried beans, artichoke hummus, bean, onion and cherry tomato spread.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crema (da spalmare) di lenticchie

or launch the crema (da spalmare) di lenticchie audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

Small_NFlogoThis is my contribution to the 41st edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started 13 years ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

lentils, spread, tahini, Italian cuisine

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Newrule

crema (da spalmare) di lenticchie

lentil spread and raw lentils
lenticchie piccole dal sapore grande
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Per la seconda edizione della Fattoria ho preparato un piatto utilizzando una delle eccellenze dell’Umbria, la mia terra di origine. La lenticchia di Castelluccio di Norcia non ha bisogno di presentazione. Ma non è l’unica varietà di questo legume gustoso, nutriente e facile da preparare: c’è la lenticchia dell’Altopiano di Colfiorito, anch’essa caratterizzata dalle piccole dimensioni. 

Colfiorito lentils
Lenticchia di Colfiorito, delizia umbra

Fare la spesa all’Antica Spezieria e Drogheria Eredi Bavicchi1 a Perugia mi ha fatto conoscere ed apprezzare questo ed altri legumi tradizionali umbri e non solo. Mi piacciono molto i sacchi a righe che contengono i legumi e i cartelli scritti a mano che presentano le caratteristiche dei prodotti. (La foto qui sopra è di qualche anno fa, quindi il prezzo non è corrente.) Nel negozio potete anche trovare spezie, cioccolato, cereali e farine e tanti altri prodotti.

sesame seeds raw and toasted / IMG_5211

semi di sesame tostati e crudi

Ho cotto le lenticchie come al solito poi ho deciso di preparare qualcosa di diverso, una crema spalmabile ispirata all’hummus (crema a base di ceci), in particolare per quanto riguarda l’uso della tahina. Qualche tempo fa ne comprai una versione fatta con semi di sesamo tostati, versione che ho provato a fare in casa e che è diventata per me standard.

Ingredienti per la tahina con semi di sesamo tostati:

  • 150 g di semi di sesamo
  • 2 cucchiai / 30 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva
  • 1/4 cucchiaino di sale fino

Ingredienti per le lenticchie:

  • 100 g lenticchie di Colfiorito o di Castelluccio
  • 240 ml acqua
  • 1 piccola foglia di alloro
  • 1 spicchio d’aglio pelato
  • 1/8 cucchiaino di sale fino

Ingredienti per la crema di lenticchie:

  • Lenticchie cotte (ingredienti qui sopra, preparazione a seguire)
  • 2 cucchiai / 30 ml tahina con semi di sesamo tostati (ricetta a seguire)
  • 1 cucchiaio / 15 ml di succo di limone
  • 2 cucchiai / 30 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva
  • 1 piccolo spicchio d’aglio, tritato
  • 1/4 cucchiaino cumino in polvere
  • 1/4 cucchiaino harissa in polvere
  • 1/8 cucchiaino di sale fino, a seconda del gusto
  • Acqua in aggiunta per ottenere la consistenza desiderata

Preparare la tahina ai semi di sesamo toastati
Tostare i semi di sesamo in una padella a secco su calore medio fino a quando siano dorati e fragranti. Scuotere spesso la padella o muovere i semi con una spatola. La doratura avviene in pochi minuti, quindi prestare attenzione o i semi si bruciano. Trasferire i semi su un piatto a farli raffreddare.

Frullare i semi di sesame fino a che formino una pasta densa. Aggiungere l’olio d’oliva e frullare a che si formi una crema omogenea. Aggiungere il sale e frullare brevemente per distribuirlo. Trasferire la tahina in un vasetto di vetro, coprire e tenere in frigorifero fino al momento dell’uso.

Cuocere le lenticchie
Mondare le lenticchie e sciacquarle, poi metterle in un pentolino con l’acqua, l’alloro, l’aglio e il sale. Coprire il pentolino e portare a bollore rapidamente. Abbassare il calore e far cuocere le lenticchie, coperte, fino a quando siano tenere, 30 minuti o il tempo necessario. Controllare dopo 15-20 minuti e valutare quanto tempo manca al termine della cottura.

Rimuovere l’alloro e l’aglio e scartarli. Far raffreddare le lenticchie nel pentolino.

Preparare la crema di lenticchie
Frullare le lenticchie cotte insieme agli altri ingredienti (tahina, succo di limone, olio d’oliva, spezie e sale) fino ad ottenere una crema omogenea. Aggiungere un po’ d’acqua, se necessario, per ottenere la consistenza desiderata. Io la mantengo piuttosto densa per servirla anche come piatto principale in combinazione (vedi sotto).

Trasferire la crema in una ciotola e metterla in frigorifero. Tirarla fuori un’ora prima di servirla.

Servire con cracker e/o verdure fresche tagliate a bocconcini (per esempio, carote, cavolfiore) come aperitivo, oppure come pietanza insieme ad un’insalata o un trancio di frittata.

Porzioni: 4

1 Antica Spezieria e Drogheria Eredi Bavicchi

Logo_v4Porto la mia crema di lenticchie sulla tavola del 2° mese del gruppo Fattoria consapevole e solidale: I legumi.

La lista delle ricette contribuite questo mese.

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto gli articoli di lino gratuitamente dall’azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarli sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

recipe: lentil spread

| Simona

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sagne incannulate con lenticchie al sugo / with lentils in tomato sauce

| Simona
Sagne incannulate

elegant shape

I am not surprised that the authors of the book "Pasta by Design" were fascinated by the geometric shape of sagne incannulate. This pasta from Puglia, also called lasagne arrotolate and lagane incannulate, starts as a strip of pasta dough and ends as a long spiral that keeps its shape during cooking. On this page, you can see some lasagne arrotolate.

Reading the description in Orietta Zanini De Vita's Encyclopedia of Pasta made me search for additional information and then run to the kitchen to make some eggless pasta dough.

Zanini De Vita mentions the use of a round stick as a support for rolling the pasta, and I tried to use the thickest of the dowels I bought during my garganelli research, but I didn't have enough details to be able to reproduce her description.

Among the few videos that I found, the most helpful was this one, where the pasta strip is rolled around its long axis on the working surface to fold into a spiral. This other video shows a method that I find rather tricky, since the dough can stick to itself when rolled.

Sagne

With the information acquired, I set about devising my procedure for making this beautiful pasta shape. The photo above shows my first sagne incannulate. And the video shows my hands at work:

 

Ingredients for the pasta (I recommend weighing both flour and water because the quantities involved are small):

  • 100 g / 3.5 oz. semolina flour of good quality
  • 50 g / 1.75 oz. warm water
  • A pinch of salt

Ingredients for the lentils:

  • 100 g / 3.5 oz. / 1/2 cup lenticchie di Castelluccio, sorted and rinsed (or other small lentils, like de Puy or black beluga)
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons / 270 ml water
  • 1 garlic clove, unpeeled (uno spicchio d'aglio in camicia; literally: with the shirt on)
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • A pinch of sea salt

Ingredients for the tomato sauce:

  • Olive oil
  • A shallot, minced
  • Leaves of a sprig of thyme
  • A small garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups strained roasted tomatoes (thawed, if frozen)
  • Sea salt, to taste

How to make the dough and shape sagne incannulate
Make a dough with the pasta ingredients and knead until nice and smooth. [This post (with video) talks about how to make semolina pasta dough] Let the dough rest, well wrapped to avoid drying, for half an hour or so.

Shape the dough into a thick disk, then cut it into quarters. Roll each quarter into a wide strip, thicker than when making tagliatelle. With my hand-cranked pasta machine, I roll the dough down until the third thinnest notch.

Zanini De Vita does not say how long the pieces of dough are, while this page says 30 cm (12 inches). At the beginning, you may want to limit yourself to 10 inches (25 cm), so you can gain familiarity with the movements involved. I suggest not to exceed 12 inches (30 cm) of length.

Cut each piece of dough into strips about 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) wide. (I use a pizza cutter for this step.) With one hand, roll each strip along its long axis to make a tight spiral. Use the other hand to guide the strip so it acquires the right shape. Make sure the working surface offers a bit of traction when you make the initial roll. If the surface is floured, the strip will slide rather then start folding onto itself.

Depending on the length of the resulting spiral, fold the rolled sagne incannulate in half or into thirds (like the bottom sagna in the top photo). Set them aside to dry on a kitchen towel or a floured wooden kneading board.

Knead together strips too short to roll and misshapen sagne and flatten the dough again into a wide strip to be cut. Repeat until all dough is used.

You need to let this pasta dry at least a day, possibly two, before cooking. This will ensure that when you move it, you don't smash it and that the pasta will keep its beautiful shape when cooked. A kitchen towel under the pasta absorbs some of the moisture and so does a wooden kneading board.

How to cook the lenticcchie
Place all the ingredients for the lentils except the salt in a small pan. Bring to a boil and cook gently until lentils are tender. Check after 15 minutes and estimate the time necessary to complete the cooking (it should be a few more minutes). If the pan is dry, add a tablespoon of hot water.

When done, add salt, stir and set aside.

sagne incannulate

version one-pot meal

How to prepare the tomato sauce
In a small saucepan, warm up a bit of olive oil, then add the shallot and thyme. Cook gently for a few minutes, then add the garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 7-8 minutes. Adjust salt, to taste. Add the lentils to the tomato sauce (draining them first, if there is some water at the bottom of the pan) and stir well.

Note that this will make much more sauce than you need to dress the sagne made with the amount of dough above, but once you have the sauce ready, I am sure you'll find ways of using it, like making more handmade pasta.

How to put it all together
Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then toss the sagne incannulate in it. The time needed is a bit variable, depending on the size of sagne, how dry they are, etc., but it is not short, as the pasta is rather dry. Taste and stop the cooking when the sagne are ready. Pour a glass of cold water in the pot, stir and drain the pasta. Place in a bowl, then distribute some lentils in tomato sauce and toss. Serve immediately.

Alternatively, while the pasta is cooking, place some lentils in tomato sauce in a small skillet and warm up.

Note: When I prepared the batch that I then photographed, I used a good amount of lentils to make a piatto unico (one-dish meal). When I serve the pasta as an Italian primo piatto (first course), I use less sauce. 

Taste the pasta and stop the cooking slightly earlier than usual. Drain the pasta, leaving just a bit of water clining to it, then drop it into the skillet with the sauce. Stir well over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Plate and serve immediately.

Note: if tomato season is ongoing in your area, you can make tomato sauce using crushed tomatoes, adjusting the cooking time to get a sauce of the right consistency.

Pasta pleaseThis is my second contribution to the current edition of Pasta Please, a new pasta-centric event created by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes and hosted this month by Simona of briciole. The theme this month is: homemade pasta.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

MLLAMay2013Logo This is also my contribution to MLLA #59, the current edition of the popular, legume-centered event created by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen, and hosted this month by Kalyani of Sizzling Tastebuds.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

sagne incannulate

or launch the sagne incannulate con lenticchie al sugo audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

handmade pasta, lentils, tomatoes, semolina flour, Italian cuisine