Sausage says you're serious about soups and stews, dishes that don't generally get the recognition they deserve in American cooking. For this full meal in a bowl, use any robustly seasoned sausage such as a Polish or Italian variety, or a Mexican chorizo.
SERVES 6 TO 8
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
| 3 | slices uncooked peppered bacon or regular bacon with a good grinding of black pepper, chopped |
| 1 | large onion, chopped |
| 4 | garlic cloves, sliced thin |
| 1 | pound lentils, rinsed and picked over for remaining grit |
| 1 | large celery stalk, chopped |
| 1 | large carrot, grated |
| 8 to 10 | cups chicken stock |
| 2 | small tomatoes, preferably Italian plum, chopped |
| 1½ | teaspoons salt, or more to taste |
| 3 | fresh uncooked well-seasoned sausage links, approximately 5 to 6 ounces each |
| Chopped mint and crumbled feta cheese, for garnish |
Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry until brown and crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, drain it, and reserve it. Stir the onion into the rendered bacon drippings and sauté about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Mix in the lentils, celery, carrot, and 8 cups of stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes, adding more stock if the mixture becomes too dry. (The final consistency should be hearty and stew-like rather than thin and soupy.) After 30 minutes of cooking, add the tomatoes and salt, being prepared to add plenty if you started with unsalted stock. Continue cooking until the lentils are very tender but stillhold their shape, approximately 15 to 30 additional minutes. Keep the stew warm while you grill the sausage. (The lentils can be prepared to this point a day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate them, reheating before proceeding. Add a little water to thin them if they're too thick to spoon easily.)
Fire up the grill for a two-level fire capable of cooking first on high heat (1 to 2 seconds with the hand test) and then on medium heat (4 to 5 seconds with the hand test).
Grill the sausages uncovered for a total of 20 to 25 minutes. First cook the sausages over high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, rolling them every couple of minutes to crisp all sides. Move the sausages to medium heat and continue cooking for 12 to 15 additional minutes. When done, the sausages should be brown, crisp, and thoroughly cooked but still juicy. If grilling covered, sear all sides of the sausages on high heat uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes; finish the cooking with the cover on over medium heat for 13 to 15 additional minutes. (The sausage can be grilled up to two days in advance and refrigerated. It doesn't need to be reheated before being added to the stew, but make sure to heat the stew long enough to warm the sausage through.)
Slice the sausage into thin rounds and stir into the lentils just before serving in shallow soup or pasta bowls. Scatter mint and cheese over each bowl and serve piping hot. We like the stew with Mixed Berry Cornbread.