Lentil and Smoked Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 lb. smoked sausage
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp. black peppercorn
- 1 tsp. coriander seeds
- 4 c. chicken stock
- 1/2 lb. green lentils
- salt
Method
Slice the smoked sausage into medallions. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven and add the sausage to brown. Brown both sides, and brown in batches. Do not crowd the pot.
While waiting for the sausage to brown, dice the onion. It can be rather chunky if you like. Peel the carrots and dice them as well. Mince the garlic. Wrap the peppercorn and coriander into some cheesecloth and tie it up with some butcher's twine. Smash the cheesecloth a bit with a heavy pan or other heavy object. This will slightly crush the peppercorn and coriander, allowing it to release its flavor. The cheesecloth will let this flavor through without leaving bits of seed behind.
Once the sausage is browned, set it aside and reserve it. Add the onion and carrots to the pot and saute them to give them some color, adding some salt to help pull out moisture. When the vegetables are somewhat soft, add the garlic and the peppercorn and coriander cheesecloth bag and heat briefly, no more than 30 seconds. Do not burn the garlic.
Add the stock and the lentils to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Put the lid on the pot and let simmer until lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes. Remove from heat and remove the cheesecloth bag and discard. Add the sausage back to the pot. Add salt to taste.
Notes
Using the cheesecloth for the seeds really helps with the reduction of the crushed bits of seed getting into the soup.
If you cut the sausage on the diagonal, it will offer a greater surface area for browning and also has a very nice presentation. You can also dice the sausage if you would rather not have large pieces in the soup.
2020-02-12 - Made this without the sausages, using 4 cups of broth as opposed to the 6 I used last time. Consistency was exactly what I wanted.
2020-01-25 - Made this and it had a great flavor. I ended up using about 6 cups of chicken broth that I had made the night before, and I think it was a bit too much. I like a lentil soup that is a bit thicker, letting the creamy texture of the lentils come out.