Cotechino con Lenticchie
Thick, tender slices of spiced pork sausage served over savoury braised lentils. A beloved Emilia-Romagna classic eaten for good fortune.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 120 min
- Total
- 135 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 680 kcal
Equipment
- •Large stockpot
- •Deep sauté pan
- •Toothpick
- •Slotted spoon
- •Sharp carving knife
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 680 kcal
- fat
- 40 g
- carbs
- 44 g
- fibre
- 14 g
- protein
- 38 g
- calories
- 680 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Prick the cotechino skin all over with a toothpick so fat can release gently during cooking.
- 2
Wrap the sausage loosely in cheesecloth and place it into a large pot of cold water.
- 3
Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer over low heat for two hours until soft and cooked through.
- 4
Warm the olive oil in a deep sauté pan over medium heat.
- 5
Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery to create the soffritto (aromatic vegetable base).
- 6
Cook gently for eight minutes until the vegetables soften and smell sweet.
- 7
Stir in the rinsed dried lentils, bay leaves, and tomato paste.
- 8
Pour in the warm vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a steady simmer.
- 9
Simmer uncovered for thirty minutes until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.
- 10
Season the lentils with fine sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- 11
Lift the cotechino from the water, peel away the outer skin, and slice into thick rounds.
- 12
Spoon the warm lentils onto a serving dish and arrange the hot sliced sausage on top.
Chef's tips
Use small brown mountain lentils that maintain their structure rather than breaking down into a purée. Simmer the cotechino at a very low bubble to prevent the natural casing from bursting.
Ingredient substitutions
- cotechino sausage → zampone (stuffed pig's trotter), cooked using the same gentle poaching method
- dried brown lentils → canned brown lentils, added in the last ten minutes of simmering to heat through
Storage
Store leftover sausage and lentils in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a covered pan over low heat with a small splash of broth until steaming hot.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the sausage over high heat, which causes the skin to split open and dry out.
- •Salting the lentils at the beginning of cooking, which makes their skins tough.
- •Pricking the sausage with a large knife instead of a thin toothpick.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Cotechino con Lenticchie?
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