1/1/2010~ Day 1 Lentil Veggie Stew with Italian Sausage

Here is the first recipe for the 2010 Mangia Mamma Recipe Challenge. I was going to make it when we went to Ron & Shelly's house for football games, but I wrenched my shoulder a bit and ended up getting pizza to take instead. I realized when we got home that I still needed to make dinner, so I asked Mary to whip up some drop biscuits while I went to work on the stew. We had most of the ingredients in the recipe which was originally in an old Bon Appetit magazine (yes, I know it wasn't a cookbook, but it is a magazine which I already had), but I twisted it around to what we had on hand. The verdict came in that it was probably even better than the original!

Lentil Veggie Stew with Italian Sausage

(adapted from Bon Appetit January 2010)

2 T. olive oil

1 pound Italian sausage, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 large onion, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)

4 parsnips, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)

4 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 t. dried basil

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. dried thyme

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 pound lentils (about 2 1/4 cups)

3 quarts low-fat stock (I used a combination of beef and chicken, but you could use either or even vegetable stock)

1 cup red wine (I used a Tempranillo but again you could use what you have at home)

3 cups chopped cabbage (any type~ I used 1/2 a head of napa since it was in the fridge)

Cook the sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or browned. Remove sausage from heat and place on paper towel-lined plate. Add olive oil to pot along with onion, carrots, parsnips, celery and herbs. Lower heat to medium and cook for 7-8 minutes or until onions are translucent and vegetables are starting to soften. Add lentils; stir to coat. Add broth and wine. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Add sausage and cabbage and mix well. Let simmer for 7-9 minutes to blend flavors and wilt cabbage. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes about 10 servings. Like I said, I served this with biscuits, but I think it taste delicious over rice. For those of you who don't do meat, you can always skip the sausage and just do the veggies~ I am pretty sure it would still be delicious!