2021 Week 17 Newsletter
Recipe & Pic from Taste Cooking
When the weather starts getting drizzly and chilly this is a recipe that I always end up turning to. It's rich, satisfying and oh so heart-warming on a fall or winter evening!
~Rae
1 ½ cups green or brown lentils, preferably French
1 tsp baking soda
7oz Toulouse sausage, or other uncooked pork sausage, casings removed
Olive oil, as needed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium bulb fennel, trimmed, cored, and diced (or substitute 4 celery stalks)
½ tsp fine sea salt
3 whole cloves
½ tsp dried thyme
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Freshly ground black pepper
Crème fraîche or full-fat sour cream, for serving
Roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving
Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
The day before you want to cook them, soak the lentils in enough cold water to cover by 2 inches mixed with the baking soda.
The next day, in a heavy-bottomed pot, cook the sausage over medium heat until browned, breaking it into bits with a wooden spoon as it cooks. (If the sausage meat is lean, add 2 teaspoons olive oil so it doesn’t stick.) Scoop out and set aside on a plate.
Add the onion, fennel, and salt to the pot and cook, stirring regularly, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
Drain and rinse the lentils. Add to the pot with the cloves and thyme. Add the stock, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the lentils are cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes. If you want to give more body to the soup, mash roughly with a potato masher, or process briefly with an immersion blender. You want the soup to remain chunky.
Return the sausage to the pot and stir. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Ladle into bowls. Add a spoonful of crème fraîche, black pepper, and parsley, and serve. I like a dash of hot sauce, too.