French Lentils with Sausage and Fennel
Author: Nicole
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (7 ounces) dried French green lentils
  • 4-1/2 cups water
  • 1-1/2 pounds mild sausage (pork or lamb), casings removed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large (3/4-pound) fennel bulb (sometimes called "anise"), stalks discarded, reserving fronds and chopped into ¼-inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds, divided
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar (or more to taste)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Bring lentils, water and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil on high heat in a 2-quart heavy covered saucepan. Once boiled, partially cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are just tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes. Drain cooked lentils in a sieve set over a bowl and reserve cooking water.
  2. While the lentils are cooking, use a 5-quart (or larger) pot or Dutch oven with a cover to cook sausage and vegetables.
  3. Cook sausage over medium-high heat breaking it up with a wooden spoon into large chunks. Cook until no longer pink, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Keep about 2 tablespoons of the sausage fat – drain the rest if there’s more.
  4. Add olive oil to sausage fat to coat pot. Add fennel, onion, carrots, garlic, fennel seeds and thyme to pot and toss to coat. Cover pan and cook over medium-high heat for about 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally (adjust heat if vegetables are sticking).
  5. Stir sausage and lentils into vegetables with enough cooking water to moisten (1/4 to ½ cup) and cook over moderate heat until heated through, about 2 minutes.
  6. Stir in parsley, salt and pepper, red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon fennel fronds. Add more salt and/or vinegar to taste.
  7. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon fennel fronds before serving.
Notes
* I like to use a mild garlic lamb sausage but any mild sausage will do (such as Italian pork).
* You could cook the sausage whole in the pot or on the grill and slice if you prefer.
* If the lentils finish cooking before you’re ready to add them to the sausage-vegetable mixture, don’t worry as you’ll have a chance to heat them up.
* You could drain all of the sausage fat and use all olive oil.
Recipe by Riegl Palate at https://www.rieglpalate.com/french-lentils-with-sausage-and-fennel/