Warmest Wishes to all of you on this New Year's 2011.  May all of your dreams, ambitions, hopes,
and hard work bring to you and your families the blessings of health, prosperity and happiness. May
those of you who suffer with whatever burdens life has given you remain strong in the hopes that "this
too will pass".  It's a weekend filled with looking back, and looking ahead..timeless symbols, super-
stitions, and traditions that turn Dec.31 and Jan. 1 into the holiday it is.  It was also my late grandfather's
birthday...so my earliest recollections of NewYear Eve family parties were of Grandpa 's Birthday, then,
the celebrating of a new year ahead of us. 
     As with all traditions of the human race, somewhere in the background or forefront lurks a food
associated with the day, season, or holiday.  In the Italian-American home of my youth the new year
meant pork and some sort of dried bean.  Italian tradition dicates eating foods in the shape of
money, or coins...the lentil is probably the most popular of these foods.  Sausages, made of pork,
which signifies good luck, would be simmered with the beans and then cut into circles, again to
evoke the symbol of a coin.  For this 2011 New Year's Day I made a traditional Lentil and Sausage
soup that I added some chopped baby Spinach, for it's resemblance to dollar bills, and it's de-
licious and healthy nature.   Lentil soup is one of those very easy soups as there is no need to
pre-soak them.  Dried lentils are one of the only still cheap foods on the shelves and their nu-
tritional profile is exceptional.  Lentils are a mainstay of many of the world's diets.  Indians in
particular are fond of lentils, especially in that vegetarian stew called Dal.  Protien rich and
mineral loaded, this is a wonder food. 
     Now that we are in the midst of the Winter (still have tons of snow here, melting slowly, but after
last Sunday's 3 ft that was dumped on us, very happy to see it starting to melt away) this is a great
one pot meal with a side salad  and some good bread.  This soup is enough for 6, lentils are
very filling.
Start with a bag of lentils, open them into a colander and rinse them under cold running water.
With your hands, feel for any stones or pebbles that may be included in that bag.  In a heavy
bottomed sauce pan, heat 2 tbs. of olive oil and 4 links of Sweet Italian Sausage.  Brown well on
all sides, this should take about 6-8 minutes.  Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a
platter or dish.  Add 1 finely diced onion, 2 diced stalks of celery, and 2 finely diced carrots to
the oil.  Season with some salt and pepper and let this saute' until somewhat soft, about 8
minutes. Crush 1 tsp. of dried oregano between
the palms of your hands and add to the saute.  Stir.  Now add 1 finely sliced clove of garlic.  Let
this get fragrant, about 1-2 minutes then add the lentils and stir well.  Allow this to cook for maybe
3 minutes, turning a few times.     Add 3 1/2
cups of water or vegetable stock.  Bring this to a boil and let it boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the
heat to just above a simmer.  Cut the sausage into 1/4 rings and add them and any juices that
collected in the plate to the soup.  Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour, checking frequently so nothing
sticks to the bottom of the pan.  Now add 2 cups of chopped baby spinach and stir in.
   It is during this next 1/2 hour of cooking
that the lentils really thicken up into the porridge-like thick consistency I was used to as a child.
Continue simmering covered on low and stir occasionally.  Your soup shoud be very this and
creamy now.  Season this in plates with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a good grating of
pecorino.  Now if you prefer a looser soup, then keep checking before the lentils completely
thicken the soup, and add maybe another cup of stock.  check for seasoning.


Let's toast to the New Year, and start it off with a traditional soup that contains all the
right symbolic foods in it.  Oh, by the way...before I forget...I sprinkle a bit of crushed
dried red hot pepper over it...to ward off  'U 'Malochio"...the evil eye...no room in our
lives for that Evil spirit....may only goodness follow you and your loved ones in this
new year...Happy 2011~