You probably thought I dropped off the face of the Earth. That’s almost true, and I sure haven’t done any cooking in the past week. However, I will leave you with a favorite recipe perfect for this time of year. I love lentils and soup, and especially lentil soup. This one gets a lot of flavor from turkey Italian sausage and tastes better every day. It makes a lot so you can eat on it during the week. The lentils will absorb a lot of water even it has finished cooking. Just keep thinning with water each time you reheat it to make a soupy consistency.
Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 shallot, minced
1/4 c celery, chopped fine
1/4 c carrot, chopped fine
2 t dried Italian herbs
1 t red pepper flakes (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 big links mild or hot Italian turkey sausage (or pork), depending on how meaty you like it.
1 bag brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
6 c chicken stock or water
Parmesan for top
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Directions:
Heat olive oil in big stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 30 sec until you smell it. Add shallot, carrots and celery and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, Italian herbs and salt and pepper to taste, and combine. Remove sausage from casings and crumble into pan. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until it is cooked through. Turn heat up to high and add rinsed lentils and 6 c of the stock or water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down so the soup is at a gentle simmer. Cook for 35 minutes, adding more stock or water if necessary. When lentils are tender and broken down, taste and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. You could stir in a 1/2 c of freshly chopped parsley if you’d like. Serve topped with Parmesan.
