Thursday, February 18, 2010

Lentils with sausage and swiss chard

Oh, swiss chard, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I used plain green lentils, and the last of the gator sausage my sister brought me from the Gulf Coast, 'cause I'm cool like that. Any kind of sausage will be fine.


Several links of sausage
1/2 cup each chopped carrot and onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1 1/3 cups dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon each fennel seeds and fresh rosemary
2 1/2 cups (or more) water
1 big bunch swiss chard, roughly chopped

Saute the sausage over medium heat in a big skillet until cooked through. Add the carrot, onion and garlic, and saute until the veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in all except the chard, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to medium-low. Let simmer about 20 minutes, or until lentils are done. Stir in the swiss chard and cover, cooking until chard is wilted and tender, maybe 5 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Cost: A big bunch of chard runs about $2, maybe a little less, this time of year. Lentils in bulk cost next to nothing; I'm gonna estimate about 40 cents for a cup to a cup and a half. Let's say $2 for however much sausage you put in, plus 50 cents for the rest. A little less than $5 total, and this will serve 4 as a main course, for about $1.25 per serving.

I whipped up a batch of cheese grits (I used gruyere cheese) and served this over top. YUM.

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