Black Lentils with Radicchio & Speck

I created this recipe for the Holiday 2014 issue of Sweet Paul Magazine. View the original article here.

Serves 6


Ingredients

· 1¼ cups balsamic vinegar
· 1½ cups black lentils or French green lentils
· 6 cups chicken stock or water
· salt & pepper, to taste
· 6 slices of speck
· 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
· 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
· 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
· 1½ small red onions, finely chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
· 4 sprigs fresh thyme
· 2 heads radicchio

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Simmer vinegar in a small non-reactive saucepan until reduced to about ¼ cup. This will take about 8–10 minutes. Once done, set aside.
Bring lentils, stock, and salt and pepper to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
Simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are just tender. This will take about 25 minutes.
While lentils simmer, brush both sides of speck with olive oil and place on a baking sheet, being careful not to overlap slices.
Bake until speck is golden brown and crisp. This will take about 8 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, add butter, stir in celery, onion, garlic, thyme. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened. This will take about 10 minutes.
Cut radicchio into quarters and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet until edges are charred. This will take about 8–10 minutes. (For a little extra char, you can briefly broil after roasting)
Drain lentils and stir into vegetables.
Cook together for 1 minute.
To plate, serve speck on top of lentils. Place charred radicchio on top, and drizzle with balsamic syrup and olive oil.

Photography by Linda Pugliese, Food and Styling by Carlo Geraci

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