Sausage & Lentil Cassoulet

INGREDIENTS

• 225g puy lentils
• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 8 pork sausages
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 300ml chicken stock
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra leaves to garnish
• 4 tbsp crème fraîche, to serve
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse the lentils in a sieve under cold running water, then place in a pan with 600ml of water. Add a pinch of salt, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until ‘al dente’- just tender but still with a little bite. Drain in a sieve and set aside.
2. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add one tablespoon of the rapeseed oil to a pan, then add the sausages and sauté over a medium heat until nicely browned, turning regularly.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in another pan and sweat the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaf for about 10 minutes until softened but not coloured.
4. Stir through the cooked lentils and then pour in the chicken stock and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a steady simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste, add the sausages to the pot and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
5. Finally stir in the parsley. Spoon the spiced lentil stew onto a large warmed platter, place the sausages on top and spoon over a dollop of creme fraiche and a few parsley leaves to serve.