Rigatoni with Lentils
Among the five things I made last night was Lidia Bastianich’s Rigatoni with Lentils. It was my first time making any of her dishes. We haven’t had Italian food in awhile and I wanted to make something with the lentils on hand. Since my dad has mentioned that he liked her recipes in the past, I thought it’d be worth trying. It turned out pretty well, especially after adding lots of extra-virgin olive oil and salt. K likened it to a stew, which makes sense, given the tomato base, lentils, carrots, and celery. It’s an easy, hearty dish, perfect for vegetarians! And, it’s a cheap meal.
I followed Lidia’s recipe for the most part. There were some things I did differently. For example, Lidia tends to add A LOT of butter and cheese. I know this from her PBS show, so I cut down the amount of cheese as it seemed excessive. Modified recipe below.
Rigatoni with Lentils
Yields: 6 servings
1 cup small lentils
⅓ cup carrot, cut in ¼-inch dice
⅓ cup celery, cut in ¼-inch dice
2 fresh bay leaves
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 plump garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
½ teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste
3 cups Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marazano (canned), crushed
by hand
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound rigatoni, or other pasta
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2-3 tablespoons pecorino,
freshly grated, plus more for passing
1) Rinse the lentils,
and put them in the saucepan with the diced carrot and celery, the bay leaves,
and 3 cups cold water.
2) Bring to a boil,
cover the pan, and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle, steady simmer.
3) Cook until the
lentils are just tender, about 25 minutes (or longer, depending on size).
4) When the lentils are almost cooked, pour the olive oil into the large
skillet, and set it over medium–high heat.
5) Scatter in the
garlic slices, and cook for a minute or two, until sizzling and starting to
color; sprinkle the peperoncino onto the pan bottom to toast as the garlic
sizzles.
6) Pour in the
crushed tomatoes, slosh out the can with a cup of cold water, pour that into
the skillet, stir well, and bring to the boil.
7) Simmer the sauce
for 5 minutes or so, just to thicken up a bit.
8) When the lentils are tender, drain first and pour them into the
skillet with the tomatoes, season with the salt, stir everything together, and
heat the sauce to a bubbling simmer.
9) Cook for 25
minutes or so, until the lentils are quite tender and the sauce has thickened
to a consistency you like for dressing pasta.
10) If you're going
to cook the pasta right away, keep the sauce at a bare simmer.
*For later use, let
it cool, then refrigerate. (If it thickens after cooling, loosen it with pasta
water when you reheat it.)
To cook the rigatoni or other pasta:
11) Fill the big pot
with salted water, and heat to a rolling boil.
12) Stir in the
pasta, and cook it until barely al dente (about 10-12 minutes).
13) Scoop the
rigatoni from the water, let drain for a moment, and drop it into the skillet
of sauce, simmering over low heat.
14) Toss together for
a minute or two, until the rigatoni is evenly dressed and perfectly al dente.
15) Turn off the heat, sprinkle on the chopped parsley and grated cheese, and
toss well.
16) Finish with a
drizzle of olive oil, toss again, and serve immediately in warm bowls, with
more cheese at the table.