Linguine con lenticche e pancetta

(Linguine with Lentils and Pancetta - from "Italian Country Cooking: The Secrets of Cucina Povera", by Loukie Werle...which I LOVE!)

Month #3 of Julia's Birthday Celebrations came to a worthy end this past weekend with the visit of my parents and the delivery of presents. In addition to making me a Bananagrams addict, that also means a new cookbook - and oh, what a cookbook. It is THE cookbook: "Italian Country Cooking: The Secrets of Cucina Povera", by Loukie Werle. Expect many recipes to come from this book.

(I'm also making up for last week's dearth of cooking with an all-out cookfest this week. So, two recipes tonight (last night's dinner and tonight's), with more planned. I'd also be tempted to call it a pastafest, but how is that really different from any other week, really?)

So - this recipe. Lentils, as you can see, since the husband is still absent. I think I'd want to play with this one a little more the next time; I'd also use more pasta water, since it got a little dry. Overall - good, nice spice, and nice and different!

(The recipe below serves four - I halved it for myself and it sufficed for dinner and leftover lunch.)

1 cup lentils
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 lb pancetta, cubed or sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced and chopped into smaller pieces
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp chopped rosemary leaves
1-2 fresh hot red chiles, seeds removed and sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 pound linguine
Fresh parsley, finely chopped, for garnish

First you have to prep the lentils. Place them in a small pot and cover with about 2 inches of water. Add a little salt if you want, and cover the pan. Set it over low heat and cook until the water comes to a boil - this will take about 15-20 minutes. When it does, set the lid on an angle and cook over very low heat until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and set lentils aside in their liquid.

Combine the oil and the pancetta in a deep frying pan and cook over medium heat until the pancetta gets crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Then remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels.

Add the celery to the same pan and cook until it begins to soften, another 5 minutes or so. Add the garlic, rosemary and chiles and cook about 2 more minutes. Then, drain the lentils and add them along with the wine. Cook until the wine reduces to about half.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta and reserve about a cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the lentils, toss briefly over the heat with the pasta water as needed (to prevent drying), and add the parsley and pancetta and serve.