Still got a fridge full of leftovers? Looking for some New Year’s inspiration to go beyond the boring “reheat-and-eat” ritual, we asked chef Simone Panella for his advice on how to make your leftovers something extra special for New Year’s Day. Panella is a fourth-generation restaurateur at the renowned restaurant Antica Pesa, a venue open since 1922 in Rome. And that same passion and tradition of Roman cuisine so valued by the Panella family has been exported in 2012 to to the USA at the twin-restaurant Antica Pesa Brooklyn—opened by his brother Francesco Panella (founder also of Feroce Restaurant in Manhattan) and managed by their younger brother Lorenzo.
Simone and Francesco Panella
Chef Panella explains that in Italy, regional cuisine is often based on recycling and “using every last bit” of food. A great example: the cacio e pepe, a recipe invented to use the very last bits of cheese in a pasta dish instead of throwing it away. Or the spaghetti frittata — made with leftover pasta and baked in the oven. It’s a great snack for kids, too, says Simone.
"Always [working] during the holidays, cotechino and lentils is the only dish I eat on New Year's Eve — a very busy evening at the restaurant. I don't eat until I finish the service at midnight. In fact, in our restaurants in Rome and Brooklyn, we offer cotechino and lentils at midnight as a good omen for the New Year. I like to enjoy at least four slices [of cotechino] on a bed of lentils — as is tradition."
Antica Pesa dal 1922 in Rome
For a holiday leftover recipe, chef Panella wanted to offer something original—revisiting a traditional festive dish with a new formula. Made especially for us (and for you!), here’s the recipe for cotechino ravioli with a lentil cream sauce. Enjoy it and... happy 2020!
Cotechino Ravioli with Lentil Cream Sauce, Salsa Verde and Orange Zest by chef Simone Panella
Serves 4
For the dough
1 kg all-purpose flour
10 eggs
For the filling
2 pieces leftover cotechino
For the sauce
Castelluccio lentils leftover
Orange zest
Start by preparing egg and flour mixture with an electric mixer. Dough must be smooth, well-blended and must rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before use.
Heat cotechino with a little water and mash until you have an almost creamy consistency. Put mashed cotechino in a pastry bag.
To make the ravioli, we used an oriental style closure—though made with local ingredients.
The lentil cream is prepared with the lentils from the evening before. Blend with hot broth, orange zest, salt and pepper.
The base for the dish should be a reduction prepared with remaining cotechino fat and red wine.
For the salsa verde, blend herbs, lemon juice and garlic juice with ice so they don't lose color.
Compose the dish with lentil sauce at the bottom, ravioli on top and salsa verde to garnish. Finish with orange zest.
Buon appetito!