It's well after midnight and rather balmy outsde. A cool 56º with a mild wind. 14th street is empty with only the occasional passing bus. Even the homeless guys who sleep on the steps of the Salvation Army are absent from the scene. It's an odd sensation.
I had to go to the hospital this morning for a CAT scan and I rode the bus up Madison and then back down Fifth Avenue. Madison Avenue was strangely populated near Mt. Sinai with multiple gatherings of people scattered piece meal along the sidewalks and there were gaggles of cars and taxis humming their way up to Harlem. Not so Fifth Avenue. It was desolate from the Met straight down to the Village. It's an odd sensation seeing 57th and Fifth without people. Even odder seeing Bergdorf's, St. Patrick's and Saks completely shuttered. Rockefeller Center was devoid of humanity and barricaded. Ralph Lauren's flagship stores on Madison had very elegant, custom-made, white painted boards covering every glass surface facing the street. These are the strangest times in which we live. It's enough to suppress any appetite but curiously, it hasn't. Everyone I know is baking something almost every day. I decided to live vicariously by binge watching (again!) the Great British Baking Show so I wouldn't bake myself. That hasn't stopped me, however, from putting on a few pounds.
So let's talk about lentils; anything, really, to take our minds off of the realities of our day and age.
I first read about pasta with lentils in a cookbook by Lorenza de Medici. I've made this unsuspecting dish several times and have always been astonished by the depth of flavor - not to mention the texture - such an innocent little legume can impart on the palette. What's more, they are extremely good for you. I often make the recipe below without the pasta and eat it by itself. It can be a very satisfying repast for one on a cold winter's night. What follows, though, is, I think, one of the best ways to eat it with people round the table.
You can make the lentils a day ahead or reserve one cup of the lentils for this dish to be used at a later date. I find it tastes better the next day after it's been refrigerated.
To prepare the lentils, rinse one cup lentils with cold water and let drain in a sieve. Once cooked you should have twice that amount by volume.
Make a soffrito of one small onion (minced), one small carrot finely diced, and about 1/4 cup minced celery. Mince on clove of garlic.
Saute the soffrito and the garlic in some olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the lentils to coat with the olive oil and then add 1/2 half cup roasted cherry tomatoes and about 1/4 cup white wine or vermouth. Let that reduce before adding 2 cups boiling chicken stock. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 35 minutes or until tender. You can check on the lentils periodically and smash the tomatoes into the mixture so they melt away. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper.
Cook the pasta (farfalle, rigatoni, penne,gemelli, etc.) according to the instructions in lots of salted water. A half pound of pasta should be enough for 4 people as a first course. Reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes since it will be baked in the oven.
Drain pasta. Put a little olive oil in the casserole, add the pasta and toss and add the lentils, 1/2 cup heavy cream and 5 tbs. parmiggiano. Mix well and sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and put in a 400º oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Buon appetito!
No comments:
Post a Comment