So, to make a “past” rather than a “present” with lentils, put the lentils in water with a little bit of butter and when they are cooked, but not mushy, pass them through a sieve
INGREDIENTS (serves 4 people)
- 350 g Organic Lentils
- 50 g butter
- half an onion
- 3-4 parsley branches
- 1-2 stalks of celery
- 2 medium sized carrots to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Original recipe by Pellegrino Artusi.
This dish could be called purée of lentils, as the French do, but Rigutini tells us that the real word in Italian is “passato”, which can be applied to any type of vegetables or legumes, including potatoes. So, to make a “past” rather than a “present” with lentils, put the lentils in water [in a large pot with a few inches of water] with a little bit of butter [25 grams] and when they are cooked, but not mushy [draining off any excess water, or adding a little hot water during or at the end of cooking if they remain too dry], pass them through a sieve.
Make a little battuto with onion (not too much, because its flavour should not overpower the others), parsley, celery and carrot; put it on the fire with just enough butter [25 grams], and when it is golden brown, stop the cooking with a ladleful of broth, which could be the skimmed broth from a cotechino. Strain, and serve the lentils seasoned with this sauce, not forgetting to add salt and pepper. Keep in mind that the consistency should be as thick as possible.
“Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well” is the well-known manual by Pellegrino Artusi, written in the late 1800s.
This book, which stems from his travels throughout Italy, contains more than 700 homemade recipes, but there are also personal notes, as well as pearls of wisdom and ironic phrases by the writer and gastronomist. Due to its historical and cultural value, this masterpiece of Italian cuisine and table service has been translated into numerous languages and is known throughout the world.
Pellegrino Artusi - a “peregrin” both by name and by nature - was born in Forlimpopoli in 1820 and died in Florence in 1911. He was an Italian writer, gastronomist and literary critic. His most notable work is the well-known cookbook “Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well”.