Have you ever wondered why we eat lentils on New Year's Eve ? Accustomed as we are to finding them on the table at every New Year's Eve dinner, we have probably always taken them for granted, as a reassuring presence that surrounds the last special occasion of the year.
Yet, behind New Year's lentils there is a meaning linked to luck and prosperity. If you are curious to find out, below we will delve deeper into the topic and recommend 5 recipes to try (not just with cotechino).
Lentils New Year's Eve, tradition
What do lentils bring to New Year's Eve ? Well, in our peninsula it is believed that lentils bring good luck. Eating them on New Year's Eve - shortly after midnight - is a tradition said to date back to ancient Rome. It is easy to say why it is put into practice, and these people themselves suggest it to us. In fact, the ancient Romans used to give a bag full of lentils to friends to wish them good luck and prosperity in the new year.
Lentils New Year's Eve, when to eat them
When should you eat lentils on New Year's Eve before or after midnight? In theory, the right time is strictly at the stroke of midnight, immediately after having uncorked and toasted the sparkling wine and admired the fireworks. Naturally, nothing prevents them from being included in the New Year's Eve menu , and in fact many expect them as a dinner dish together with the inevitable cotechino or zampone, with which - on this occasion - they make a permanent pair.
READ: Ustica lentils, properties and cooking of the Slow Food Presidium
Lentils for New Year's Eve, 5 recipes
Good, but let's get to the lentil recipes to bring to the table on New Year's Eve. More or less traditional but all tasty. What goes well with lentils? Take note.
Lentil and cotechino meatballs
Ingredients
- 300 g of cooked cotechino
- 200g cooked lentils
- ½ stale sandwich
- 1 carrot
- 1 stick of celery
- ½ onion
- 50 ml of tomato puree
- Olive oil
- 1 egg
- Flour and breadcrumbs to taste
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Preparation
- Fry the chopped carrot, onion and celery in a pan. Add the lentils and tomato puree and season.
- Blend the cotechino and add it to the lentils, which you have mashed with a fork. The stale bread that you have wet and wrung out and season with salt and pepper.
- Now add the egg and some breadcrumbs, just enough to obtain a dense and mouldable mixture.
- Create some balls and fry them in a pan with oil until golden.
Lentil cream with prawns
Ingredients
- 400 g of orange lentils
- 300 g of pumpkin
- 3 leeks
- 16 prawns
- Extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- Pepper
- Parsley
Preparation
- Clean the leeks, removing the green part and cut the white part into slices. Peel the pumpkin, cut it into cubes and add them to the leeks. Sauté them briefly in a pan with oil.
- Now add the lentils and cover them generously with water. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 20 minutes. Once the liquid has been absorbed, blend.
- In the meantime, boil the prawns for no more than 5 minutes and add salt. Serve the lentil and pumpkin cream and accompany it with the prawns. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and enjoy hot.
Lentils stewed in tomato
Ingredients
- 300 g of lentils
- 1 small onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery
- 700 g of tomato puree
- 1 bunch of rosemary
- salt
- Pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
- Peel the onion and fry it in a pan with the chopped carrot and celery.
- Add the tomato puree to the sauce and the lentils, adding a glass of water.
- Cook until the lentils are tender and have absorbed most of the liquid (about 40 minutes).
- Season with salt and pepper and serve with rosemary and oil.
Small glasses of lentil cream and croutons
Ingredients
- 200 g of mixed vegetables (onion, garlic, leek, courgettes, carrot, etc.)
- 40 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 200 - 250 g of cooked lentils
- 20 g of rice
- 1 nut cube
- 600 g of water
- Salt and pepper
- Dried oregano
- Croutons to taste
Preparation
- Sauté the vegetables in a large pan with oil.
- Add the lentils, rice, stock cube, water, pepper and oregano. Cook for about 20 minutes.
- Blend everything after seasoning with salt and pepper and pour into glasses.
- Decorate each glass with diced bread croutons.
Polenta crostini with lentils
Ingredients
- 150 g flour for polenta
- 150 g mixed mushrooms
- 200 cooked lentils
- 200 g of fresh cheese (Asiago type)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 sprig of parsley
- Oil
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
- Prepare the polenta following the instructions on the package. Once ready, pour it into a mold lined with kitchen film. Create a rectangle approximately 1.5 cm high and cover it with cling film.
- Let it cool until it hardens. Cut the polenta into squares and toast them in the oven at 200° for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, fry the garlic in the oil and add the mushrooms. Salt and add the chopped parsley. Blend the cooked lentils with a little water until you obtain a cream.
- Spread it on the croutons and fill them with the mushrooms. Cover with a cube of cheese and bake for a couple of minutes. Serve hot.
