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Cotechino con Lenticchie (Cotechino Sausage with Lentils)

Symbolizing wealth and good fortune for the coming year, this hearty dish of cotechino sausage with lentils is traditionally served on New Year’s Eve in Italy.  We’ve listed an easier versions since cotehino sausage is not always available using Jimmy Dean Sage sausage.  We do however also mention the way to alter the recipe if you do have n Italian market nearby and can purchase the cotechino sausage.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 45 minutes
Total Time4 hours 5 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: beans
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • medium pan
  • Large pot
  • Cutting Board
  • knife

Ingredients

  • 1 cotechino sausage (you can find this at an Italian market or used Jimmy Dean Sage Italian Sausage & add tsp of clove, nutmeg & garlic powder to get a similar flavor to the cotechino)
  • 1 lb package of dry lentils soaked in water overnight
  • 1 large white onion peeled and diced
  • 2 carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 6 cloves garlic peeled and diced
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 4 cups stock
  • 3 tbl fresh h parsely fresh
  • 1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes or to taste
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp fresh sage minced (you can eliminate this if you are using the sage sausage)
  • 1/2 tsp fresh thyme minced
  • Fine Sea Salt to taste
  • Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary

Instructions

  • Soak Beans overnight
  • Peel and Dice the onions, carrots, garlic. Dice the Celery
    Mince the Sage and Thyme
  • If you are using Jimmy Dean, brown your sausage over medium heat in a large pan and break up into crumbles.  Set aside once browned. 
  • In the drippings along with 1 tbls olive oil, saute the onion, carrots, celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add sage, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf, and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. 
  • Add the lentils and pour in just enough water to cover them. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes and then reduce to a simmer. 
  • Boil for 5 minutes and then reduce to a simmer. 
  • Add the crumbled sausage. 
  • Cover, and allow the lentils to simmer very gently until they are tender and creamy, 35 to 45 minutes.
  • Check occasionally, and add water in very small amounts if the lentils begin to stick before they are fully cooked.

Notes

If you are using cotechino, remove the casing & brown in a pan over medium heat until you can service in large slice over your lentils. Here’s a tip, you can put the sausage in boiling water for a few minutes which makes the casing easier to remove.