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CAPO D'ANNO

NEW YEAR'S DAY

The annual rite of consuming good luck food for New Year's Day is observed all over the world.  Exactly what you consume depends largely on where your ancestors came from and what was available there during the winter.  In Italy, lentils are eaten as a symbol of good luck and prosperity because they resemble tiny coins.  Tuscans eat lentils with "Cotechino", a large pork sausage.  People in Bologna and Modena eat lentils with "Zampone",  the same sausage mixture stuffed into the skin of a pig's foot.  In the Piedmont, little grains of rice symbolize money, so New Year's Day menus feature risotto and for added luck, a plate of beef or chicken would be served with spinach and lentils.  If you would like to add a "good luck" dish to your New Year's Day menu, we are providing you with several options.

RECIPES

Sausage and Lentils

Lentil and Escarole Soup

Cotechino Sausage

Veal with Lentils and Pasta

Risotto with Fondue

Seafood Risotto

Sausage and Lentils  (serves 4-6)

1-1/2 cups lentils

1 TB. olive oil

1/4 cup pancetta, diced

1 large onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 lb. Cotechino sausage *

1/2 cup traditional tomato sauce

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1 bay leaf

salt to taste

Place the lentils in a large saucepan.  Add 2 qts. of water and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

Drain and set aside.

In a skillet, sauté the pancetta, onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes.

Remove mixture and set aside.

In the same skillet, cook the sausage until golden brown.

Remove the sausage and cut into pieces.  Discard the fat from the skillet.

Add the reserved vegetable mixture to the skillet with the tomato sauce, lentils, and bay leaf.  Cook over low heat, covered, for 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the lentils onto a serving platter and arrange the sausages around them.  Serve.

* Cotechino sausage is traditional in this dish, however it may be difficult to find.

Substitute any flavorful Italian sausage.

Lentil and Escarole Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 small carrots, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups diced tomatoes

2-1/4 cups lentils

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8 cups chicken or beef stock

1 head escarole, chopped

salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook 10 minutes to reduce the liquid.

Add the lentils and stock and bring to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Add the escarole, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until lentils are tender, 35-45 minutes.

Ladle into individual bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Veal with Lentils and Pasta (serves 6)

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water about 15 minutes

2 lb. veal for stew, cut into 1" pieces

Salt and pepper

Flour for dusting

3 TB. olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

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8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 cup dry white wine

1 TB. fresh rosemary, chopped

1 cup chopped tomatoes

3 cups chicken or beef stock

1 cup lentils

3/4 cup small pasta, such as ditalini, tubetti, shells, or elbows

Drain soaked mushrooms, reserve liquid and add it to the stock.

Salt and pepper the veal and dust with the flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook veal over high heat until veal is brown.

Add the onion and mushrooms and continue cooking.

When onion begins to brown, add wine and rosemary, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Transfer all ingredients to a large saucepan and add the stock.

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Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer about 1-1/4 hours.

Add lentils and continue cooking about 1 hour.

Stir often to prevent lentils from sticking to the bottom.

Cook pasta.  Put pasta into individual soup bowls.  Ladle stew over top.  Serve.

Risotto with Fondue  (serves 4-6)

8 oz. Fontina cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup milk, heated to lukewarm

1 TB. olive oil

2 TB. unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 bay leaf

2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

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4-1/2 cups beef broth

1 TB. flour

1 egg yolk, well beaten

Salt and white pepper

Put the cheese in a bowl with the warm milk.

Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add the garlic, bay leaf and rice and sauté 3 minutes.

Add the wine and cook until it has evaporated.

In another saucepan heat the broth to a boil.

Begin adding it to the rice a half cup at a time, stirring continually.

It will take about 20 minutes until all of the broth is added and absorbed.

In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, combine the Fontina, milk, and flour.

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Stir until the cheese is melted.  Add the egg yolk.  Season with salt and pepper.

Form the rice into a mound on a serving platter.

Make an indentation in the middle and pour the cheese in.

Seafood Risotto (serves 4)

5 TB. unsalted butter, divided

4 TB. olive oil, divided

1 cup onion, finely minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups Arborio rice

4-5 cups fish stock

1/2 cup chopped Portobello mushrooms

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1/2 lb. small scallops

1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled

1-2 lobster tails, cut into chunks

5-6 squid tubes, cut into rings

1/2 TB. Kosher salt

Black pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 TB. butter and 3TB. olive oil.

Add onion and garlic.  Cook on medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring continually.

Add rice.  Turn heat up a little and toast rice slightly, 2-3 minutes.

Then reduce heat to medium-low.

In another saucepan, sauté mushrooms in 1 TB. olive oil, 1-2 minutes.

Add fish broth to mushrooms and bring to a slow simmer.

Begin adding this broth, about 1 cup at a time, to the rice. Stir regularly.

Allow the rice to absorb the liquid before more broth is added.

This should take 25-30 minutes.

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While adding the last cup of broth, add all of the seafood, salt and pepper.

Cook about 5 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed and the seafood is cooked.

Remove from heat.  Add 1-2 TB. butter and parmesan cheese, if desired.

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