Spaghetti with Lentils

H. E. L. L. O.

 

I – have just – had the most INCREDIBLE AMAZING PLEASURE of seeing Mr Tucci himself, LIVE speaking at the Barbican.

 

It was an absolutely enchanting evening. It was, from start to finish, BEAUTIFUL.

 

I started the day at home, on my usual celebrity stalking spree – I was getting ready to message Guy Pierce asking what his birthday plans would be – when I saw Tucci had posted. It’s usually some kind of kitchen fun, charmingly filmed by Felicity Blunt. But this was a link to his event THAT EVENING at the barbican for the Women’s Prize for Fiction (of which I have enjoyed many many many books). There was one seat left, 5th row.  It was perfect.

 

I arrived extremely early, hoping to scope out any opportunity for a book signing – which never happened. So I gleefully skipped around the barbican book shop, pouting, with crossed arms and a smile. Emotions are complex things.

I was first to enter the hall, so I scurried by the stage for a minute or two before the room filled up, and sat front row for a while finishing my wordle and scoping out the best view in the house – then I returned to my seat, and waited for Mr Tucci.

I want

So badly,

to give an anthropologist’s meticulous account of my evening. I want to be articulate, to make sophisticated remarks about meeting one’s idol (I have many – although I do hate to use the word idol because it just makes me think of that golden cow. Moses would not approve.) I want to provide you with a recounting of an attentive, focused listener. But memory is a tricky fairy. I studied her at university. She fades if you’re not completely careful. I want to be honest, so here is a pretty complete list of what I can remember, that can be written:

He spoke of desert island discs, his favourite tunes.

He spoke of throat cancer, of his late wife, and his late horse.

Of loss of voice and taste.

Of an actors toolkit.

He spoke of Harry Styles

Of Ryan Reynolds.

He spoke of Italy.

Of books – of his wonderful wife Felicity. Of Sorrow and Bliss.

He spoke of typecasting. Of dark skin and dark characters.

He talked alcohol, sauce, flour. Of Big Night.

He made us laugh!

I was agitated, flushed, feverish, thrilled, breathless, nervous, soothed, ultraviolet.

I waved at him. He waved at me.

Then I went home and slept in my childhood single.

 

The next day I cooked with my mum. I knew we would make one of his recipes together, and I thought best make one I wasn’t so sure about. My mum will eat it if I don’t like it. Pessimism can be useful in the kitchen!

Lentilsssssssssss. Lentils. Lento (it) means slow. Lentilles (fr) means lenses.

 

I’m kind of scared of them. Blegh.

My mum and I had so much fun.

Here is a recording of her reading out the recipe, and complaining that too many pans are required. For those who speak both French and English, (and some Arabic) enjoy.

Stanley proposes this recipe as a demonstration of his rules on cutting spaghetti. Which honestly, I didn’t know needed to be said. He welcomes cutting spaghetti dry (especially for this sort of recipe, where little 3cm pieces are required), but (and this is insane I didn’t know anyone did this) says you must never cut your spaghetti after its cooked. WHO DOES THAT.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

– SERVES 4 –

½ a carrot, finely chopped ½ an onion, finely chopped ½ a stalk of celery, finely chopped ½ a garlic clove, sliced

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

165g dried brown lentils, rinsed and picked over

250g spaghetti

375g marinara sauce

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

  • In a medium or large saucepan (all the ingredients, including the pasta, will end up in this saucepan, so make sure it is large enough), sauté the carrot, onion, celery and garlic in the olive oil over a medium-low heat until they are soft, about 7 minutes.
  • Place the lentils in another medium saucepan. Fill the pan with cold water to a level 2cm above the lentils.
  • Slowly bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are just tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  • To break the spaghetti, lay out a clean dish towel, wrap the spaghetti in it, and fold over the ends of the towel.
  • Roll, squeeze, and/or bend this bundle until you can feel the spaghetti has broken down into 2-4cm pieces.
  • Place the bundle over a large bowl and unfurl, thus emptying it of all the bits of spaghetti.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente.
  • Reserve half a cupful of the cooking water before draining the pasta.
  • Meanwhile, drain the lentils and transfer them to the saucepan with the sautéd vegetables. Add the marinara sauce. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the lentils have blended with the sauce, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the drained pasta, along with the reserved pasta water, to make a liquid consistency. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Simmer the pasta and sauce together to allow the flavours to combine, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

 

Anyways this was absolutely delicious and I have been nothing but unfair to the lowly lentil.

 

My apologies lentils,

 

I

was

wrong

about

You.

 

Eve

 

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