No Italian New Year's Eve dinner is complete without Cotechino con Lenticchie, a traditional dish of lentils and fresh pork sausage. Symbolizing coins, lentils are believed to bring luck and prosperity for the coming year. Cotechino (pronounced koh·teh·KEE·no) is a mild, fatty sausage of considerable girth (roughly three inches in diameter). It is made from coteca (pork rind) and meat from the cheek, neck, and shoulder, and seasoned delicately with clove, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. The resulting sausage is very soft—almost to the point of being creamy.
My pre-New Year's Eve sample of this holiday classic came in the form of a warm bowl of Umbrian lentil soup with cotechino. Will it bring me prosperity early?
Felice Anno Nuovo!
Nice to hear from you, Pegasuslegend! The classic preparation is not a soup, of course. Rather, it's a dish of stewed lentils topped with sliced cotechino.
I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed your champagne with crème de cassis (also known as a Kir Royal, incidentally). In addition to the drink's appeal to the palate, its florid tones are a feast for the eyes as well.
Thanks so much for your comments, Claudia. Happy New Year!
Posted by: Comestiblog | 31 December 2009 at 12:58 PM
When you posted you ate this I was dying to see it thanks for posting this its awesome...never had it, oh and btw, I love the black current in the champagne tried last night its awesome! Happy New year!!!!!!!
Posted by: pegasuslegend | 31 December 2009 at 09:19 AM