What do Italians eat on New Years Eve
Many Italians love to celebrate New Year’s Eve with firework displays, festivals, bonfires, concerts, and parties. Dinners may include meals such as Cotechino (Italian sausage) and Lenticchie (lentils). Italian sparkling wines such as prosecco or spumante are toasted to farewell the old year and celebrate the New Year.
COTECHINO WITH LENTILS
Time
2 hours and 10 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Course: Second Courses
Served across Italy on New Year’s Eve, cotechino sausage and lentils is a succulent dish believed to bring good luck to those who eat it in the year to come.
Regione Emilia-Romagna
INGREDIENTS:Per 4 servings
1 Cotechino sausage, about 14 oz
1 ½ tablespoons Academia Barilla IGP Toscano Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
¾ lb dried lentils, or 24 oz jarred lentils
3 ½ oz canned tomatoes
1 cup broth
salt and pepper to taste
Rinse the lentils, then soak them in a bowl full of cold water for 12 hours. If you prefer, you can used jarred lentils.
Using the tip of a skewer or a fork, poke holes in the cotechino. Place it in a pot of cold, unsalted water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook over low heat for 2 hours.
In the meantime, peel and dice the onion. Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add a little olive oil and, once hot, add the onion, bay leaf and cloves. Once the onion is translucent, but not yet brown, add the lentils, drained of their soaking water and rinsed. Saute for 30 seconds, then add the tomato. Mix well and cover with broth.
Bring to a boil, then cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft, but aren’t falling apart. Season with salt and pepper.
Once done cooking, remove the cotechino and cut off any kitchen twine. Cut into ½ to 1 inch slices. Remove the casing and serve with the lentils. If you like, you can grind extra pepper on top.
CHEF’S TIPS
When you cook lentils, remember to salt them at the end of cooking, rather than the beginning, so that they don’t remain hard.
FOOD HISTORY
Throughout the world, the night between December 31 and January 1 signifies the passage from one year to the next and is considered a reason to celebrate. Italians normally celebrate with friends by eating a big dinner on New Year’s Eve, similar to the meal consumed on Christmas Eve. Some of the traditional holiday foods include zampone, or pork trotter, and cotechino, pork sausage, with lentils. According to tradition, people eat large quantities of lentils because they are believed to bring good economic fortune in the year to come, probably due to the fact that the beans look like little coins. Once dinner has come to a close, Italians normally party all night long.
#Buone Feste #HappyNewYear2016
