Spicy Sausage and Lentil Soup

The weather is positively balmy. The patio beckons. January sunshine warms my toes. What could be more pleasurable than lunch on the patio.  Soup and a sandwich is easy enough. 

Sausage is sauteed with celery, onions and garlic. I pour in a can of fire roasted tomatoes, some brown lentils and a hefty dose of chile flakes. Soup simmers as the weather turns warmer. A scattering of dill fronds, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil crown the soup before we eat. So gratifying, so rewarding.

SPICY SAUSAGE AND LENTIL SOUP

Serves 4

2 Italian Sausages

2 Celery ribs

1 small Onion

3 Garlic cloves

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1/2 cup Brown Lentils or Puy Lentils

1 teaspoon Chile Flakes

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Several grinds of Black Pepper

1 cup slivered Greens ( Swiss chard, Spinach, Kale, Gai Lan- any green will do)

Dill Fronds

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Chop sausage into small bits.

Slice celery thinly.

Mince onion roughly

Chop garlic into small dice. 

Heat oil in a deep saucepan.

Add sausage and saute till no longer pink.

Drop celery, onion and garlic into saucepan and stir fry till veggies are soft.

Add tomatoes, lentils and chile flakes to saucepan. 

Pour water to cover the lentils by two inches.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bring soup to low boil, cover partially and simmer for 1/2 hour or till lentils are cooked. They should not disintegrate, but be soft and mushy when squeezed.

Slice the greens into ribbons. I used gai lan, a Chinese green.

Add greens to soup and simmer for 10 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls.

Top with dill fronds and a drizzle of EVOO. 

Enjoy!

 

The glimpse of summer pleases me no end. The promise of al fresco dining even more.

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