Minestra di Lenticchie, Verza e Pollo

It is a recipe which can go in many directions. It doesn’t have to end up as a soup at all.

SERVES 4

To make the soup is very simple and takes about forty minutes. But you do have to have certain things already prepared at hand to make the soup. Like cooked lentils or other cereals and some a cooked chicken thigh and it’s cooking liquid for stock for the soup.

TOP TIPS:

The first part is to braise all the vegetables with some pancetta and then you can decide to turn it into a soup or a warm mixed cereals salad, with lentils spelt and pearl barley. The important thing is that the cereals in both cases play a secondary role. The flavours of the vegetables have to be at the forefront of the dish.

The other secret. In my mind these autumn flavours work better with if you start with beef lard rather than olive oil.

STEPS

To make the stock for the soup. Cover two chicken legs with water in a pan and add a carrot an onion, a stick of celery, a few pepper corns, some thyme and a bay leaf. Bring to the boil and simmer for about forty minutes and then leave to cool.

To cook the lentils. Cover the lentils with water in a pan and add a carrot an onion, a stick of celery, a few pepper corns, some thyme, a bay leaf and a piece of bacon or bacon rind. Bring to the boil and simmer for about forty minutes and then to cool.

The soup. Cut the pancetta into small batons and all the vegetables into a neat small dice, shred the cabbage and the broccoletti leaves finely and break down the florets of the broccolo romano into micro florets.

In a heavy based casserole heat some beef dripping or extra virgin olive oil and add the onion and the pancetta and start to braise the vegetables adding one after the other. Cook the onion is translucent and then add the carrot and the celery. Cook for a further couple of minutes and then add the potato, again cook on, add the wine and cook until it has evaporated. Now add the lentils and the broccolo romano and cook on again stirring it almost as if it was a risotto, before adding the cabbage.

Remove the chicken thighs from the cooking liquid and pull the meat apart in small shreds and add to the pan stir in and then add the chicken stock and bring to the boil and then turn down so the soup is just simmering and cook for a further ten minutes, check the seasoning and serve.

Or

Before adding the stock add a small amount of spelt and pearl barley and ladle in only a little stock and stir the pan to heat the cereals through before serving.