Down-Home Smoked Sausage and Lentil Soup
"Three cheers for this recipe - It's easy, nourishing, and best of all DELICIOUS! Filled with lentils, vegetables and smoked sausage, this is a hearty soup that is the perfect choice when you are short on time - It cooks in under an hour. Reach for your Dutch oven to make this soup tonight; then ladle up a bowlful of tummy-satisfying comfort food."
- Ready In:
- 50mins
- Ingredients:
- 19
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 1 cup dry lentils
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup carrot, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1⁄2 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄3 cup dry red wine
- 5 cups water
- 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
- 1⁄4 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage, snipped
- crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- 10 ounces fully-cooked smoked link sausage, sliced diagonally
- freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving
- fresh parsley, snipped (Garnish)
directions
- Pick through the lentils and discard any stones; wash and drain.
- To a large 6-quart Dutch oven heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Once hot, add the bell pepper, carrots, celery, onion, tomato and salt; sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the wine and simmer the mixture, until liquid is reduced by half.
- Add the next seven (7) ingredients; give a good stir. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
- Stir in the cooked sausage; heat through.
- Ladle soup into warmed soup bowls and garnish with parsley. Serve with Parmesan, warm crusty Italian bread and a freshly tossed green salad.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
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It was at my Italian grandmother's apron strings, in the "Patterson, New Jersey region" of Italy, that I learned the secrets of creating real home style Italian dishes, and where my passion for food and my culture were nurtured.
Always kept neat as a pin, grandma's kitchen was the centerpiece of our social settings and the focal point of our lives together as a family. Yes, it was the heart of her home. There, friends and family exchanged news, grandchildren stood on stools over the counter and grated chunks of Romano and Parmesan cheese to be served with dinner, and under the watchful eye of grandma the women (young and old) planned and prepared mouthwatering menus that reflected the marvelous flavors and textures of Italian cooking.
On any given day tantalizing aromas would build and escape through her kitchen window, dance about the balcony and drift down onto the street; where men chatting on the corner of Putnum Street would stop in their tracks to inhale the mouth-watering fragrance. So many sumptuous meals were prepared in that modest, yet functional, kitchen.
If I close my eyes and think of Grandma's cooking, I can vividly recall some of those fragrant food memories: tomato sauce with meatballs and sausages simmering on the stove top; onions, peppers and garlic roasting in a fragrant pool of olive oil, Neapolitan pizza with vine-ripened tomatoes (from grandpa's garden), fresh garlic, basil, Parmesan and anchovies bubbling in the oven; Italian bread smothered with creamy butter, minced garlic, and fresh parsley toasting under the broiler ... "Yummmmm - Heaven in your mouth!"
Among the many recipes that I've collected over the years, are those that I hold especially near and dear. They are tattered, faded pieces of paper that provide a glimpse into my past -- Family recipes passed down from mother to daughter, granddaughter to great-granddaughter. Generations of my family's heritage are captured in grandma's recipes for flavorful soups (Minestrone, Pea, Ruccola); hearty meat, poultry and fish dishes (braciole, pot roast, chicken casseroles, seafood stews); fresh vegetable entrees and salads, and those baked goodies that bring a happy ending to every meal (Ricotta pies, Struffoli, Cenci, Pine Nut cookies). Whenever I am 'hungry' for "the good old days" or I want to soothe my soul after a tiring day, these are the comfort-recipes to which I turn.
I once heard it said: "What distinguishes great cooks from good cooks is that great cooks love to cook. Every meal is an opportunity to express that love." A credo that I am certain grandma lived by -- I believe that she prepared her meals to fill her family and friends with love. I am proud of grandma's spirit of "abbondanza" (an abundant table). Indeed, no one ever left grandma's table hungry.
I'd like to share with you some of the foods from my beloved grandmother's kitchen. Enjoy and make these Italian classic favorites in your own family's kitchen.
Buon appetito!
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