Minestra di Lenticchie e Zafferano di Santo Stefano di Sessanio

• 1 pound lentils (preferably the black lentils of Santo Stefano, the brown lentils of Castelluccio in Umbria, or the green-brown lentilles de Puy from the Auvergne in France)
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
• 3 tablespoons Cognac
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional as needed
• 3 ounces pancetta, diced
• 2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 14-ounce can crushed plum tomatoes, with their juices
• Fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon good red wine vinegar
• 6 to 8 1/2-inch slices sturdy country bread crusts removed, cut into 2-inch squares
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Generous pinch of ground cloves

1. Rinse the lentils and soak them in cold water for 1/2 hour.
2. If you are using a variety of lentils other than those recommended, leave them to soften in the cold water overnight.
3. Lightly toast the saffron threads, then dissolve them in 2 tablespoons of warmed Cognac.
4. In a large soup pot over a medium flame, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat the pancetta.
5. Scent the fats with the garlic, softening it but taking care not to color it.
6. Add the bay leaf, the lentils, six cups of cold water, the saffron, the tomatoes, and the sea salt.
7. Over a moderate flame, bring to a simmer and cook the lentils for 1/2 hour or until they are soft but not collapsing.
8. Remove from the heat, add the red wine vinegar and stir it well into the soup.
9. Permit the soup to rest, uncovered, while you warm a little olive oil in a saute pan and saute the bread well on all sides.
10. In a small bowl with a wire whisk, beat the cream with the cloves and the remaining 1 tablespoon of Cognac just until it begins to thicken.
11. Ladle the soup into warm bowls, add a few bits of the sauteed bread, and float a spoonful or two of the perfumed cream over each.
12. Drink good red wine and continue to drink it after the soup with thick shards from a fine, aged pecorino.

lentils, saffron threads, cognac, extravirgin olive oil, pancetta, garlic, bay leaf, tomatoes, salt, red wine vinegar, heavy cream, generous

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/minestra-di-lenticchie-e-zafferano-di-santo-stefano-di-sessanio-391132 (may not work)