A traditional Italian New Year’s Eve dinner includes cotechino sausage and lentils to ensure good fortune for the year ahead. A traditional New Year’s Day in New York might include a hangover and a hearty brunch that sends everyone back to bed for an afternoon nap. This small but filling dish fits the bill perfectly, and includes the lucky lentils if not the sausage. It’s incredibly delicious and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 leeks, white parts only, split, thinly sliced, and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup red or rosé wine
- 1 cup dried lentils
- 2 cups water
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 4 baguette slices, cut ½ inch thick on the diagonal, toasted
- 4 extra-large eggs
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
How to Make It
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a mediumhigh flame. When the foam subsides, add the leeks and the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks are soft and translucent but haven’t taken on any color, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and let it bubble away until the pan is almost dry, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the lentils and use a wooden spatula to move them around in the pan for a minute or two. Then add the water and bring it to a boil over a high flame. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the water has been absorbed, 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add 1 teaspoon olive oil and the red wine vinegar, and stir to combine. Cover to keep the lentils warm while you fry the eggs.
- Place the baguette slices on serving plates next to the stove.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 9-inch nonstick pan over a medium-high flame. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom, and when the oil shimmers, crack 2 eggs into the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges are brown and the yolk has set. Top 2 toasts with 1⁄2 cup of the lentils, and then use a slotted spatula to top each with a fried egg. Fry the remaining 2 eggs and assemble the remaining bruschetta. Sprinkle each with sea salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.