The other night I made a recipe from last weeks Rachel Ray Show. It sounded really good and quite inexpensive. Which all of you know I am all for. Some of the ingredients I had to substitute because my grocery store did not have them. But all and all I would give it 3 stars.
Minus 1 star because Bill had stomach issues from eating it. He as IBS ( I am sure he wanted everyone to know that) and it made him .....well let's just say it wasn't pretty. So if you are someone with this I do not recommend making it because it has lots of garlic and tomato base. Two things that do not bode well for IBS people.
Of course it goes especially nice with a fresh loaf of Italian bread from the bakery section.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 pound bulk turkey or pork Italian sausage, regular or hot
- 1 cup lentils
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, grated or chopped
- 1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced ( I used the sliced button ones)
- 1 baking potato, peeled and diced ( I used 3 medium ones)
- 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
- 3-4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed ( I had to use dried)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and discarded, leaves shredded ( We used half of a small red cabbage)
Preparation
Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Once hot, add the sausage and sauté for 3-4 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a spoon or a potato masher as it cooks and browns.
While the sausage is browning, pour the lentils out onto a light-colored plate and sift through them. Discard any small stones – sometimes you find them and sometimes you don't, but better safe than sorry.To the browned sausage, add the onion, garlic, mushrooms, potato, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes.
Add the stock and 2 cups of water, turn the heat up to high and bring up to a bubble. Add the lentils and the kale, stir until the kale wilts in, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Serve.
