Lenticchia – sotto con Finocchio

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g dried lentils (no beluga lentils or red lentils)
• 1 bulb(s) of fennel (large bulb, approx. 400 g)
• 100 g onion(s)
• e.g. vegetable broth
• ⅛ liter milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• e.g. Parmesan
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• n. B. herbs (marjoram, thyme, rosemary, etc.)
• possibly garlic if needed
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, white
• some salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 25 minutes

Wash the lentils and soak them in cold water for about half an hour. Then drain the water. Peel and finely chop the onion. Trim the fennel and cut it into small cubes. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion (and garlic if desired) and sauté gently. Then add the fennel and season lightly with salt. Continue to sauté the whole thing at a relatively high heat, stirring constantly, until translucent. Add the washed lentils and sauté briefly. Deglaze with the white balsamic vinegar and let the acid completely evaporate (until the acid smell no longer arises). Reduce the heat (about 1/3 cooking power on electric stoves). Now, just like with a risotto, add the vegetable stock a little at a time (allowing the lentils to absorb about 2-3 times their weight in liquid). Add just enough to prevent it from burning in the pan and keep stirring until the lentils are cooked and the liquid is nice and thick. For the final infusion, use milk instead of vegetable stock and reduce the heat to low. Then stir in the cold butter and season with Parmesan and herbs to taste. The lenticchia sotto is perfect as a starter or as a side dish.