This time of year reminds me of heading up into the Sibillini Mountains in Umbria to the Castelluccio Plain. It’s an old dried out lake bed at the top of the mountains, set amidst craggy outcrops but completely flat. En route, there’s a little visual ‘amuse bouche’ (‘amuse oeil’?) which is a forest of trees grown on the side of the mountain in the characteristic boot shape of Italy, including little tree outcrops playing the part of the islands. Castellucio is famous for its annual colour festival – its unique microclimate means that all sorts of wonderful flowers thrive up there and around the end of May they all burst into the most stunning display – a botanic Northern lights. It is particularly remarkable given the stark washed out beiges of the surrounding mountains.
This same microclimate is also perfectly suited to growing the lentils for which this valley has become world famous (at least amongst the world’s lentil cognoscenti, who are wise and legion).
The Castelluccio lentil is brown and very small and has a wonderful, nutty, earthy flavour. When you’ve seen the rainbow parade that is its heritage, the hidden subtleties of flavour in this unprepossessing legume all make sense. The lentils don’t need presoaking; instead they’ll gulp down the perfumes of herbs and spices, or aromatics such as garlic or celery leaves, to create dishes of great comfort and effortless depth.
Ingredients for 4Fry the pancetta until the fat melts, then add the onion, garlic and celery, and fry until soft and slightly coloured. Add the lentils, cover with water and simmer for 30 minutes, or until tender, adding water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and let the lentils gently simmer. In the meantime fry the sausages. Once the lentils are ready, serve into a bowl, add the sausages on top and drizzle over some fruity olive oil.
