Recipe - Lentils With Italian Sausage

1 pound Dry lentils
Cold water
2 pound Fresh italian sausage, sweet
Or hot
About 3 cups homemade or
Canned chicken broth
One fourth cup Olive oil
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 Rib celery, finely chopped
1 Carrot, finely chopped
2 Cloves garlic, finely minced
8 Fresh sage leaves, chopped,
Or 1 tsp. dried, rubbed sage
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoon Tomato paste, diluted in a
Little water

Clean lentils well by soaking them briefly and changing the water at least
once. Put them in a 21/2quart saucepan, add cold water to cover, and
bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook until not quite done, about
45 minutes.

Meanwhile, pierce sausages in several places, and then put them in a small
saucepan. Add enough chicken broth to cover, and place over medium heat.
Bring to a gentle boil, and simmer for about 40 minutes. From time to time,
skim off and discard foam and fat that rise to the top. When sausages are
done, remove the pot from the heat and let them sit in the broth while you
finish the lentils.

Warm the oil in a medium skillet, and saute' the onion, celery, carrot,
garlic and sage in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is
translucent and the vegetables are done. Drain the lentils, saving their
liquid. To the lentil pot, add the vegetables, season with salt and
pepper, and add tomato paste. Mix gently using a wooden spoon. Add Three fourths cup
of the broth in which you cooked the sausages. Taste and adjust the
seasoning, if needed.

To serve, slice the sausages and arrange them on a platter next to the warm
lentils.

PER SERVING (based on ten servings): 457 calories (22 percent from protein,
24 percent from carbohydrate, 54 percent from fat).

SOURCE "Celebrating Italy" by Carol Field; December 29, 1992, Oregonian

Shared by Cate Vanicek

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini