Stewed lentils

Eating lentils on New Year's Eve is a widespread tradition throughout Italy, just think that the ancient Romans already used to eat a dish of lentils on the first day of the new year as a good omen to guarantee themselves greater wealth. In fact, it is said that eating lentils on New Year's Eve "brings money",

What do you need

• 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) dried brown lentils

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 carrot, finely chopped

• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped

• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1 bay leaf or sprig of rosemary

• 5 cups water

• 1 pinch salt

• handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

How to proceed

1. Rinse the lentils well and set them in a wide bowl. Cover with water to cover and soak for at least 12 hours or overnight (you can skip this if you are not a believer of soaking dried lentils, but do always rinse them).

2. Place the onion, carrot, and celery in a large saucepan or soup pot with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté gently on low heat until the vegetables are very soft and the onion is somewhat translucent, but not colored. Add the bay leaf and the drained lentils and 5 cups of water.

3. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but retain their shape (this can take as little as 15 minutes to upwards of 45 minutes, depending on the lentils and whether they were soaked). Keep checking them and add more water if necessary. Add salt to taste only once the lentils are tender, otherwise they will remain tough. Stir through chopped parsley and serve as you like