Instructions
Soften the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in the oil with the thyme until sweet, about 8 minutes.
8 minStir in the lentils, coat them in the soffritto, then add the passata and 800 ml of water.
3 minNestle in the pricked sausages, bring to a simmer, and cook gently, lid ajar, until the lentils are tender but whole, 30 to 35 minutes, topping up with hot water if it tightens.
35 minSeason with salt and pepper only in the final 10 minutes.
1 minRest 5 minutes off the heat; the stew should be loose enough to level itself slowly in the pot.
5 minServe each bowl with a sausage, a ring of raw oil, and bread with a working crust.
Chef's Tips
- Salt late: Salt at the start toughens lentil skins. Season in the last stretch and they stay delicate while holding shape.
- The real thing needs no soak: Castelluccio lentils cook from dry in half an hour. If a packet tells you to soak overnight, it is from somewhere else, which is fine, but adjust your timing.
- For the New Year, slide thick slices of cotechino in place of the sausages and let every lentil be a coin in next year’s pocket.
