Good luck to all in the New Year. Since I’m part Italian, I’ve learned that the Italian way of starting off the year with good luck is to wear red underwear on New Year’s Eve and eat lentil soup New Year’s Day. Who am I to argue? Luckily, my very first meal of 2006 was at my friend Rose’s mother’s house. Roasted chestnuts in the shell, Italian lentil soup, beef roulade, orecchiette with Bolognese sauce, and sautéed artichokes with smoked salmon. How lucky was I right off the bat? Here’s my stab at lentil soup, though I’m sure it’s not as good as Mama de Pinto’s. Salute!!

1 pound dried lentils
4 quarts spring water (the better quality water, the better the zuppa)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 celery stalk, diced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces salt pork, diced
1 ½ pounds onion, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned peeled plum tomatoes, chopped
1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
¼ pound carrots, scrapped and diced
2 large leeks, diced
¼ cup butter
8 sliced Italian salami, diced

Wash the lentils and soak in two quarts of water over night. Drain and discard the water. Bring the 4 quarts of spring water to a boil and add the ingredients except for the butter and salami. Cook slowly for 1 ½ hours. Add salami and butter. Cook for 30 minutes longer. Taste for seasoning and add more if necessary.