Rice And Lentils

Total Time: 1 hr 48 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 48 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 ounces pancetta or 2 ounces bacon, cut into pieces
• 1 cup onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup carrot, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup celery, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 6 fresh sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry whtie wine
• 8 -10 cups hot water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 1/2 cups italian short-grain rice (arborio, carnaroli, or vialone nano)
• 1 cup chopped scallion
• 1/2 cup grated grana padano (plus more for passing) or 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese (plus more for passing)

Recipe

• 1 drop the pancetta into the food processor bowl, and pulse several times, to chop the meat into small bits.
• 2 scrape all the chopped pancetta right into a heavy 5- to 6-quart saucepan.
• 3 put the onion, carrot, celery, and sage leaves into the empty food processor bowl, and mince together into a fine-textured paste or pestata.
• 4 put the butter and olive oil into the saucepan with the minced pancetta, and set over med-high heat.
• 5 cook, stirring, as the butter melts and the fat starts to render.
• 6 when the pancetta is sizzling, scrape in the vegetable pestata, and stir it around the pan until it has dried and begins to stick, 4 minutes or so.
• 7 clear a space on the pan bottom and drop in the tomato paste, toast it in the hot spot for a minute, then stir together with the pestata.
• 8 increase the heat, pour in the wine, and cook, stirring, until the wine has almost completely evaporated.
• 9 pour in 8 cups of hot water and the tablespoon of salt, stir well, and heat to a boil (add all 10 cups of hot water if you want to serve the rice and lentils as a thick soup rather than a denser riso).
• 10 cover the pan, and decrease the heat slightly, to keep the water at a moderate boil, and let it bubble for 20 minutes or so, to deepen the flavors.
• 11 stir in the lentils, return to a gentle boil, and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils just start to soften, 10-15 minutes.
• 12 stir in the rice, return to a bubbling simmer, and cook, cover ajar, until the rice is al dente, 13 minutes or so.
• 13 if the dish is thickening more than you like, lower the heat and cover the pan completely.
• 14 if it seems too thin, remove the cover and cook at a faster boil.
• 15 when the rice and lentils are fully cooked, turn off the heat.
• 16 stir in the scallions and grated cheese.
• 17 serve in warm bowls, passing more cheese at the table.