Cotechino con Lenticchie

This traditional Italian dish is eaten on New Year's Eve, where the coin-shaped lentils symbolize prosperity and good fortune for the coming year. The rich, slow-cooked pork sausage represents the abundance of the earth. Serving it is a beloved custom across Italy to welcome January 1st.

While traditional raw cotechino requires a slow boiling process that takes around two to three hours, many brands sell a pre-cooked version in a foil pouch. These pre-cooked versions only need to be simmered in hot water for roughly 20 to 30 minutes. This makes preparing the traditional New Year's dish much faster for modern households.

Authentic recipes often call for Castelluccio lentils or French green Puy lentils because they hold their shape well during the long cooking process. These sturdier varieties won't turn into mush while simmering with the rich pork fat. Standard brown supermarket lentils can be used, but they may result in a softer texture.

Both are Italian pork sausages served with lentils for New Year's, but they use different casings. Cotechino is stuffed into a synthetic or natural intestine casing, while zampone is stuffed directly into a deboned pig's trotter. Zampone requires a much longer soaking and cooking time to tenderize the tough outer skin.