Got some Spigarello at the Scottsdale Farmers Market and I thought it would be good with lentils. I did a mix of tiny black lentils and red lentils so I’d have two different textures. The lentils were more soupy than I was expecting so I added black chewy perfume-ee rice to the pot and came up with something better. The lentil-rice mixture gets topped with sautéed Spigarello and some grated hard cheese. It works out well together. This can be a vegetarian meal or you can add grilled protein to it to make a complete dinner. I think it would be great with either grilled chicken, steak or Italian Sausage.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

1 cup black lentils – rinsed and inspected

1 cup red lentils – rinsed and inspected

7 cups vegetable stock

4 bay leaves

1 cup black rice (heirloom forbidden)

3 1/2 oz shallots – peeled and sliced very thin

2 Calabrian peppers – minced

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

fresh ground sea salt to taste – you don’t need much

fresh ground black pepper to taste – you don’t need much

1 meyer lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

1 cup Italian Hard Cheese (preferably Fiore Sardo…Sardinian Sheeps Milk cheese…)

Directions

In a sauce pot bring the vegetable stock to a boil add lentils and reduce to simmer for 40 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium and when it gets to a slow boil add the rice and bay leaves, stir and then reduce to simmer and cover pot. The rice needs to cook for 30 minutes.

Either while the rice is cooking or afterwards (rice/lentil mixture stays hot a long time). Prepare the Spigarello.

Put a big fry pan on medium high heat with the olive oil. When the oil is hot add the shallots and sauté till soft. Add Calabrian peppers and stir. Pack in the Spigarello and cover. Let it sort of steam for about a minute and then remove cover and stir. Take off heat, squeeze fresh lemon juice over Spigarello and go lightly with a small amount of fresh ground sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve over hot lentil/rice mixture and top with Spigarello mixture and finely grated cheese. I do note that the next day the lentils and rice absorb liquid so it will be dryer the next day. You might or might not want to add a small amount of water to bring it back to what it was.

This is really good!