Savory Lentil Pie With Cooked Ham And Cheese

If I say lentils, what are you thinking about?

I love the enveloping taste of this legume. And I have a wide repertoire of recipes for lentils: salads, summer and winter, vegetarian burgers, pasta ragù and savory lentil pie. Not to say of soups and then a simple recipe that I like too much. It is a creamy lentil pâté, good spread on bread and also to season pasta or to be served with pinzimonio in winter. A good alternative to chickpea hummus which, while delicious, is also nice to change every now and then.

The lentil season in Italy

During the Christmas season, in Italy, there is the tradition to eat lentils over New Year’s Eve dinner. It is said that eating lentils on New Year’s Eve brings prosperity, read money, in the coming year.

And if each festive season has got its own leftovers, in Bologna, after Christmas, it’s quite usual to have abundance of lentils, cotechino but also pandoro and panettone leftovers. Year after year, I’m looking for new ideas to re-use always the same leftovers but in different way.

This savory lentil pie with cooked ham and cheese is a recipe I develop from leftovers.
And I love it so much. Not only because is so good (really, try it and write me a feedback please). But also because it’s easy to make.

My savory lentil pie and the perfect trio

We celebrated the last New Year’s Eve at friend’s home, here in Bologna.
After the dinner, before went to home, our host made doggy bags for each one of the guests. Into my doggy bag I found bread, cotechino, two portion of vegetables lasagna and lentils. A lot of lentils.

No problem, we’re “good eaters” but before to eat lentils for the second time in 2 days, “I need an idea” is what I thought. So, that is.

In the fridge I found other two perfect ingredients: Italian cooked ham and some slices of cheese. Then I needed only the dough for a lentil pie and I opted for a homemade brisée dough but works well also a ready-dough.

I confirm it, this is a comfy recipe.
Trust me, don’t wait to have lentil leftovers, make this savory pie and Buon appetito!

Buona cucina, Monica

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Food Tips

If you have lentils to recycle, it doesn’t matter whether they are cooked in tomato sauce or in white sauce, just be careful to drain them if there is excess sauce.

If lentils are leftovers, they will be already ready.Otherwise you need to cook lentils.
I leave you below how to prepare them:

cook 80g of lentils, those don’t need to be soaked, in salted boiling water for about 15 minutes. Add in a fresh sprig of rosemary too (work well also sage or laurel leaves). When lentils are soft, drain and season in a pan, over a medium-low heat for a few minutes, with finely chopped shallot or nothing, olive oil, a pinch of salt.

Lentils Savory Pie

round baking dish, 22cm diameter
serves 4-6
Ingredients

for the base

200g of 00 flour or spelt flour
100g butter
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
90g of cold water
5g of extra virgin olive oil

for the filling

200 g of lentils already cooked
150 g of cooked ham
150 g sliced cheese (a kind of cheese that melts well)
fresh grated parmigiano reggiano, 20g

Directions

The base

In a bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add in water and butter cut in pieces and knead by hand until dough is soft but firm. Roll it into a ball and wrap with a plastic film and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough into a thin sheet using a rolling pin but before set aside a third of the dough to cover the cake.

Line the baking tray with baking paper and place the dough so that the sides stick well to the edges of the tray. Prick the base with the prongs of a fork.

Lentils

If lentils are a leftover, they will be already ready.
Otherwise you need to cook them, look in the Food Tips how to cook them.

In any case, mix the lukewarm lentils with 20g of grated parmigiano.

Now make the cake

Stuff the savory pie alternating one layer of thin slices of cheese, then one of cooked ham, then -in the middle- all the lentils.

Then, again, one layer of cooked ham and the last of cheese. Now, fold the edges of the dough inside.

Also roll out the dough you put aside to make a “lid” and close the pie with a thin layer of dough.

At the end brush the savory pie crust with a beaten yolk (before stir it with one drop of olive oil and one of water).

Bake in preheated oven (180C degrees) for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden.

Take out from the oven and serve.