Villalba lentil

Grown for more than a century in the Villalba countryside, they rose to their highest production between the ‘30s and ‘60s, after which their cultivation declined. These lentils, with a very large seed and strong green shades have been revived again now. Apart from their high protein content, they are also an excellent source of iron and are better boiled, stewed or served as a side dish with zampone or cotechino pork sausages.

Villalba Caltanissetta

Villalba

The lentil is grown in Villalba and in some municipalities of Nisseno, right in the heart of Sicily: a hillside zone embraced by the mountains, where the countryside is painted with the bright colours of wheat and of olive trees, of caper and oregano bushes and of poppies.

Lentil salad with bacon and vegetables

Ingredients

  • 2 onions
  • 1 scallion
  • 400 g of boiled lentils
  • 6 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 200 g of smoked bacon
  • Ground pepper to taste
  • 1 dessertspoon of finely chopped parsley
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 sticks of celery

Method

Wash and clean celery and carrots then chop them into quite small pieces. Finely chop the scallion and parsley.

Sauté the scallion, celery and carrots in four tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, add salt to taste and remove from heat. Heat up another pan with 2 tablespoons of oil and brown the diced bacon; when it is crisp, remove from heat and add all the mixture to the drained, washed lentils. Then add the vegetables and the chopped parsley, salt and pepper and mix all ingredients well.

Serve the lentil salad with bacon and vegetables lukewarm or cold. Garnish the serving dish with parsley.

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