Italian Sausages with Lentils Tarantino Recipes developed by Nigella Lawson
This is what Italians serve traditionally on New Year’s Day. The coin-shaped lentils
symbolize the prosperity that is hoped for over the coming year.
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
(not extra virgin), divided
1 onion, finely chopped
Sprinkling of salt
2 3/4 cups ( 18 ounces) dried
Puy lentils (see note)
1 fat garlic clove, squished
and skin removed
8 Tarantino* mild
Italian sausages
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon
red wine
1/4 cup water
Chopped fresh flat-leaf
parsley, for sprinkling
To cook the lentils, put 2-3 tablespoons of the oil into a
good-sized saucepan (with a lid that fits) over medium
heat. Add the chopped onion, sprinkle with salt and
cook till soft, about 5 minutes. Add the lentils, stir well
and cover generously with cold water. Bring to a boil,
cover and let simmer gently for half an hour, until
cooked and most, if not all, of the liquid is absorbed.
Coat a heavy-based frying pan with oil, add the garlic
and cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Add and
brown the sausages. When they are brown on both
sides, about 5 minutes, add the wine and water and let
it bubble. Cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes.
Using a fork, mash the garlic into the sauce and taste for
seasoning (adding more water if it’s too strong).
Remove the lentils to a shallow bowl or dish and cover
them with the sausages and the gravy. Sprinkle with
parsley. Makes 4 servings.
Note: Puy lentils were originally grown in the volcanic
soils of Puy, in France. Now they’re grown in Italy and
North America. They’re prized because they remain firm
after cooking and have a rich flavor.
Recipe from Nigella Bites (Hyperion, 2002).
* Brands may vary by region; substitute a similar product.
Bacon-Wrapped Chipolatas
Tarantino
25 Tarantino* breakfast
sausage links
25 thin slices bacon, or
50 very thin slices
of pancetta
3 tablespoons
vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Twist each sausage in the center to form 2 cocktail-size sausages and snip with scissors on the twist to
separate them.
Cut each slice of bacon in half vertically. Wrap each
half-slice of bacon round each cocktail sausage. The
bacon, when thin, seems to get sticky and adheres to the
sausage.
Spoon the oil into a roasting pan and arrange the
sausages, each with the end bit of bacon facing down
(though they may roll), and roast for 30 minutes or so,
until the bacon is crisp and the sausages are cooked.
Take the pan out of the oven and wrap it in aluminum
foil. If you’ve let the sausages burn a little, however, it
may be better to remove them to a large piece of aluminum foil and wrap them up, forming a loose but
tightly sealed package; otherwise the sausages will
continue to fry a little in the pan.
When you are almost ready to eat, reheat the sausages
by placing the foil-wrapped pan, or parcel, in a hot
oven for about 10 minutes. Or cook them from scratch
about 45 minutes before you need them. Makes 10-16
servings as part of the Christmas feast, or 8-10 if not.
Tip: To make ahead of time, roll the sausages in
bacon, as directed, cover and keep in the refrigerator
for up to 2 days. Cook in the oven as directed.
Recipe from Nigella Christmas (Hyperion, 2009).
* Brands may vary by region; substitute a similar product.
