Penne con lenticchie

This is best with the small green lentils (sometimes sold as French lentils or lentilles du puys; they’re also grown in Italy where they’re called lenticchie del castelluccio), but regular lentils would be fine. You'll need:

one pound of penne

one cup of lentils

medium onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, finely diced

carrot or two, finely diced (about a cup)

2-3 celery ribs, finely diced

flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped

1-2 tablespoons tomato paste

red wine (optional, but much better than water)

Cook the lentils in plenty of water until they're tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes, drain. Heat some good olive oil, then saute the vegetables until the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste, a good slug of wine, the cooked lentils, and a little more water if it looks a little dry. Cover and cook over low heat for another 10 minutes.

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. When it still seems a tiny bit undercooked, drain and add to the lentils. Stir together and cook for a few more minutes. Salt and pepper to tastesprinkle on grated parmigiano, and drizzle with your best olive oil.