Cotechino is a New Year's Eve Italian classic, traditionally accompanied by stewed lentils, an auspicious protein-rich side dish. But cotechino can also be a delicious appetizer or even a main course if served with mashed chickpeas or a mixture of baked vegetables. Alternatively, it can add flavor to a risotto. The possibilities are endless, the only essential prerequisite is to make it from scratch, which takes time but makes for make for a better result than just buying the industrial one. So here is the classic recipe of cotechino with lentils, followed by three alternative ways you can enjoy it throughout the winter.
Recipe for cotechino with lentils
Ingredients:
1 ½ lb. homemade cotechino (made from pork sausage)
1 cup soaked lentils
2 shallots
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
garlic
bay leaves
2 glasses of red wine
Soak the pork sausage in cold water for 30 minutes, then dry it with a cloth and pierce it with a toothpick in three or four places so that the fat can escape during cooking. Wrap it in a cloth then close it with a kitchen string and place it in a large pot. Cover it with cold water and let it cook for about two and a half hours, simmering over low heat. In another pan fry the carrots, celery, garlic, and shallots in a little oil. Add the lentils, previously soaked, and rinsed, and let them toast for a few minutes. Then add the tomato paste, bay leaves, blend with the wine and let it cook for 40 minutes, adding boiling water if necessary. Once cooked, take the cotechino out of the water and the cloth, remove the skin and cut it into slices of about ½". Arrange the lentils in a serving dish that has been salted at the end, place the slices of cotechino on top, and serve.
Cotechino: three alternative recipes
Cotechino in salad
Take a medium-sized cotechino and boil it. When ready, peel it and wait for it to cool down. At this point cut it into slices and then into cubes. Take two heads of escarole salad, clean and cut them into thin slices. Arrange the salad in a serving dish, the chopped cotechino, a peeled and chopped rennet apple, ½ cup chopped walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Season with a drizzle of oil, a pinch of salt, and serve.
Risotto with saffron and crispy cotechino
Cut a cotechino into ½" slices and then into medium-sized pieces. Place in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of oil and fry until crunchy. Separately prepare the saffron risotto. When it’s ready, arrange it on plates and garnish with diced crispy pork sausage and serve.
Pumpkin and cotechino candies
Take half a pumpkin from Montava, peel it, cut it into slices and place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake the pumpkin in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes. When it's ready, cut it into small pieces and set it aside. In the meantime, boil a 1 lb cotechino, and when it’s ready, peel and cut it into cubes. Roll out a pastry roll and cut out rectangles. In the center of each put a piece of pumpkin and a cube of cotechino. Roll up the puff pastry, tighten it well, including the ends to make it look like candy, then brush it with a beaten egg yolk. Place it gently on a baking tray covered with baking paper and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, until golden on the surface. This makes a great canape or appetizer.