architheque

I totally absolutely burned the lima beans this weekend.  Oh well.  Opportunity for a new recipe!

If you go to Trader Joe’s and buy their little bag of black lentils, you will find the original of this recipe under the paper flap.  I, if you haven’t guessed by now, naturally omit several ingredients and am prone to adding or substituting a lot more.   I cut the celery because I don’t like it and the corn because the other person I feed doesn’t like it.  I frequently add potatoes.  This weekend, I substituted spicy sausage for the sweet.  Let me tell you,  simmering a spicy sausage for two hours results in some intense flavor.   Made with sweet sausage, I would eat these lentils straight.  But with spicy sausage, I cut it with rice to give my heat sensitive palate a break!

Lentils and Sausage

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 lb sweet or spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 1/2 cup black lentils, rinsed and drained
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes (optional)
water

Another super simple recipe!  Brown sausage in the bottom of a heavy pot, breaking into crumbles.  Do not drain.  Add diced onion and cook until onion is tender.  Add lentils and potatoes and enough water to cover all ingredients and then some (usually 5-7 cups, high side if you like it soupy, low side if you like it thicker).  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove cover and simmer 1/2 hour more.  Serve with rice if made without potatoes, or sour cream or yogurt if made with potatoes.  Fresh cilantro or fresh diced tomatoes are yummy too.