Friselle with cotechino and lentils

Name: Friselle with cotechino and lentils
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Friselle 30 grams each 4; Precooked cotechino (70 grams when cooked) 3.5 oz; Dried lentils 0.4 cup; Chickory 2.5 oz; Celery 1.1 oz; Carrots ¼ cup; Garlic 1 clove; Fresh chili pepper 1; Bay leaves 2 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

it fr es de br

314

Calories per serving

Lactose Free

Energy Kcal 314
Carbohydrates g 26.7
of which sugars g 2.6
Protein g 12.1
Fats g 17.6
of which saturated fat g 4.63
Fiber g 4.8
Cholesterol mg 26
Sodium mg 792

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 55 min
Makes: 4 pieces
Cost: Average

PRESENTATION

Friselle with cotechino and lentils brings together some of the best things you'll find in Italian New Year's recipes. I mean, this dish is straight outta Puglia, where people are really big on sturdy, crunchy friselle bread—it's just waiting to soak up something tender and flavorful. And look, here you get that classic combo of cotechino sausage and lentils, which, to be honest, folks across Italy eat for good luck on Capodanno. Really important, right? The cool part is how the friselle get dunked in the warm, rich cooking water from the lentils. Makes them moist but still keeps a little bite. And every bite? It's crispy bread, tender sausage, and earthy lentils all working together. Toss in a handful of cicoria, that slightly bitter wild green, and you get a nice balance that keeps things from getting too heavy. It is the kind of food that shows just how much people in the South love to turn simple, everyday things into something special for a holiday.

In the cozy kitchens of Puglia, friselle with cotechino and lentils often shows up as one of those traditional Italian appetizers that gets everyone reaching for seconds. Pretty simple but really good. What makes it different from regular cotechino and lentils is that little move with the bread—it soaks up all the meaty, tangy broth. So you don't waste a drop. Some folks even like to make their own friselle at home, which is super common in Puglia, and it really makes a difference when you want that true golden crunch. And the cicoria? It adds this cool, almost wild flavor that pairs up with the sausage and lentils in a way that just feels right for winter. A lot of people compare this dish to cotechino and lentil bruschetta, but friselle's solid, rustic vibe gives you something way more filling. Whether you call it a cotechino and lentil bruschetta or a bread-based starter, it's got that Italian spirit of sharing good food at the table. It's a little twist on the usual Italian holiday dishes that feels both original and super rooted in tradition. With each serving, you're tasting a piece of Italy's rich culinary history, making your meal not just delicious but also meaningful. For real.

How to prepare Friselle with cotechino and lentils

To prepare friselle with lentils and cotechino, start with the latter. Follow the instructions on the package for cooking: ours requires immersion in cold water, and from the boiling point, 20 minutes of boiling 1. Once cooked, drain it, open the package and let the melted gelatin flow inside, being very careful not to burn yourself. Place on a cutting board, slice it 2, then cut into cubes about 0.6 inches and set aside 3.

Now take care of the lentils. Rinse them under a stream of fresh water, then plunge them into a pot full of cold water 4. Add the bay leaf 5 and bring to a boil. They will cook in about 25 minutes, remaining nice and crunchy 6.

At the end of cooking, drain them in a container with a colander inside 7, discard the bay leaf 8, and keep the cooking water 9.

Clean the chicory. After removing the base, split the stems in half following the vertical line 10. Then cut into pieces about 0.8 inches and rinse thoroughly 11. At this point, peel the carrot and the outer part of the celery 12,

then finely chop the knife 13. Next, remove the top from the chili pepper and finely chop it. Move to the stove. In a large pan, heat a splash of oil along with the chopped carrot and celery, the peeled garlic clove 14, and the chopped chili pepper 15

After a few moments, toss in the pieces of chicory and sauté for a few minutes (16-17). Then add the drained lentils and sauté them too for a few minutes 18.

Remove the garlic 19 and finally sauté the cotechino cubes together with everything else for 1 minute 20; season with salt and pepper 21.

Now that everything is ready, you can proceed with the composition 22. In the container where you poured the lentil cooking liquid, which should still be warm, dip the friselle for a few moments 23. Garnish them first with the mix 24,

and then with the cotechino cubes 25. Complete all the others 26 and your friselle with lentils and cotechino are ready: enjoy your meal 27!

Storage

Once the friselle with lentils and cotechino are ready, it is recommended to consume them, otherwise the bread will tend to become soft.
The seasoning, however, can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.
The seasoning can also be frozen, if needed.
The composed frisella, on the other hand, is not advisable to freeze.

Advice

The chicory will make your friselle with lentils and cotechino really special by giving a bitter and decisive note to the dish. If you don't like it too bitter, you can blanch it for a few moments and then sauté it in a pan. Alternatively, you can replace the chicory with another bitter herb, such as escarole or, if you prefer a delicate and sweeter flavor, with fresh spinach. An extra touch of personality: crumbled salted ricotta!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.