• Soak the lentils in cold water for a few hours.

Polenta

• Add the cornmeal to the appropriate amount of hot, salted water according to the instructions on the packet. Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. As soon as the mixture starts to boil, stir the cornmeal constantly with a wooden spoon from the bottom to the top until the polenta is creamy and cooked. For the exact cooking time, please follow the package instructions. Coarse cornmeal needs 40-45 minutes cooking time,  "minute polenta" only 8-10 minutes. Pour the polenta into a loaf pan/bread baking dish and allow to cool well so that it sets properly.

Lentils

• Drain the lentils and rinse with clear water. Clean the celery, carrot and onion, chop finely and fry in a pan with oil. As soon as the onions are golden brown, add the drained lentils, pepper, rosemary and bay leaves and pour in the heated stock. Let the lentils simmer for about 20 minutes or until they have the ideal consistency. They should not fall apart, but still be slightly firm to the bite. If necessary, add a little more stock/water. It is better to salt the lentils towards the end of the cooking time, as they will soften more quickly. Remove the herbs and put the lentils aside, covered.

Cotechino

• While the lentils are cooking, the cotechino should also be prepared. Put the raw sausage in plenty of cold water. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat and let the sausage simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Please also follow the package instructions here because of the cooking times!
• Now turn the polenta out of the mould and cut it into 1 cm thick slices. If you prefer fry the polenta in a metal pan with a little olive oil until hot on both sides. Remove the cotechino from the water, peel it out of its skin and cut it into slices as well. Serve the polenta slices with lentils and cotechino.