Lentil Stew with Sausage
October 20, 2010 | Filed Under Italian Sausages, Lentils | 8 Comments
I love this stew. It tastes much better than it looks in the photo above. Really, it does. I first made this in the beginning of the year and made it several more times after that (with or without the bacon). Now,the weather is cooler, the stew is warm and filling. It’s the perfect time to make it again.
Paz
Lentil Stew with Sausage
Simply Recipes
Ingredients
- 1/3 pound of bacon (about 5 thick slices), cut into 1-inch by 1/4-inch strips
- 1 medium-large yellow or white onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2-3 large carrots, diced (2/3 cup)
- 2-3 large ribs celery, diced (2/3 cup)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 pound brown or green dry lentils, rinsed and picked over to remove anything that shouldn’t be there (like a small rock for example)
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups chicken stock (can sub water for a total of 6 cups of liquid)
- 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage (mild, sweet, or spicy, your choice) or smoked sausage, in links (about 2-3 links)
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar (can sub cider vinegar)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, with a little extra for garnish
Method
1 Heat a large, thick-bottomed pot (6 to 8 quart) on medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until much of the fat has rendered out and the bacon is browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon from pan to a dish, set aside. Remove (and reserve for another use) all but 2 Tbsp of bacon fat. (If you discard the excess fat, let cool to solidify first, then discard in the trash. Do not pour down the drain or you will clog the drain.)
2 Heat the remaining fat on medium high and add the carrots, onions, celery, and cumin. Stirring frequently, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan, cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant.
3 Add back in the cooked bacon, the rinsed lentils, stock, water, thyme, bay leaf. At this point add a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. You will season more to taste later. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook partially covered until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.
4 While the lentils are cooking, heat a frying pan on medium heat. Add the Italian sausage links. Gently cook, browning on all sides, until just cooked through. Remove from pan, let cool enough to handle. Cut into pieces of desired length (1 to 2 inches, or you can just keep whole) and add to stew for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
5 Add sherry vinegar and parsley to stew. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. You may need to add more salt than you expect, especially if you are making the stew with water only and not water and stock.
Serves 4-5.
Sausage, Peppers and Onions
May 31, 2010 | Filed Under Italian Sausages, Sauces, Simply Recipes blog | 13 Comments
The other day, I had the best ever sandwich in the world. Why was it so good? That’s because I made it myself. With my own two hands! Yes, I did. 
Made from sausage, peppers and onions, this sandwich was so good that someone (I won’t name the person) who claimed not to be hungry ended up eating TWO of the sandwiches. The same person ate the leftovers the next day. Yes, it was that good. To my surprise, the meal was very easy to make, too.
My overstuffed sandwich consisted of sausage, peppers and onions. I like hot and spicy foods, so I used hot sausages and added extra red pepper flakes. Fresh basil is not mentioned in the ingredients portion but I used it in addition to the dried oregano. Even more delicious. Only one person didn’t care for the sandwich because the meal was too spicy for them. No matter; that meant more for me and the other greedy eaters there. All in all, we were happy with our sausage, peppers and onions sandwich. Next time, I’ll try the sauce with penna pasta or polenta, as Elise of Simply Recipes suggest. Thanks, Elise!
Paz
Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
You can use different colored bell peppers, or just stick with green. This recipe uses a combination of sweet and hot sausages, but if you want a milder dish, use only the sweet sausages and reduce the amount of chili pepper flakes in the recipe. (Likewise if you want it hotter, use hot sausages and/or bump up the amount of chili pepper flakes.)
Ingredients
* 4 Italian sausage links (sweet, hot, or a couple of each)
* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 green bell pepper, sliced into 2 to 3 inch long strips
* 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 2 to 3 inch long strips
* 1 bell pepper of another color (yellow or orange or purple), sliced into strips 2-3 inches long
* 4 garlic cloves, sliced into slivers
* 1 large sweet or yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons
* 1 small (15 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
* 1 Tbsp of dried oregano
* 1/2 cup Marsala or red wine (optional)
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
* Salt to taste
Method
1 Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan that has a lid. When the oil is hot, add the sausages and brown them slowly. If they sizzle and crackle too much, turn the heat down. You want a gentle browning, not a sear. Cook for several minutes, turning them occasionally so they brown on all sides. When the sausages are browned, remove from the pan and set aside.
2 Increase the heat to high and add the onions and peppers. Toss so they get coated with the oil in the pan and sear them as well as you can, stirring every so often. You want some blackening. Once the onions and peppers soften, sprinkle some salt on them. Once you get some searing on the onions and peppers, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
3 Add the Marsala or red wine if you are using, and with a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the browned and blackened bits. Let the wine cook down by half.
4 Add the tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes (if using) and stir well to combine. Add the sausages back in. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the peppers are soft the sausages are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Sausage, peppers and onions will keep in the fridge for several days.
Serve over polenta, or with penne pasta, or load up in a hoagie roll. Any leftover sauce makes a great sauce for pasta.
Serves 4.
