Recipe: Red Lentils & Sausage Stew

While many folks spent their New Year's Eve in a jubilant blow out at a houseparty/club/restaurant, mine was a much more low-key and humble affair. Partly because I'm exhausted from the assorted holiday gatherings throughout the better part of December, but mostly because I'm working early hours on both the Eve and New Year's Day, so I was more than happy to toast to 2013 with Times Square in realtime, then ready & off to bed by 9:30 p.m.

 

But that didn't mean I neglected all sorts of New Year's tradition; having recently heard an NPR segment with Nigella Lawson on New Year culinary traditions, I was inspired to cobble together a comfort dish of sorts thoroughly infused with not only flavor but also good-fortune symbolism, with the coin shapes of lentils & sliced sausages and baguettes and the bright red of the spicy seasonings (cayenne, chili flakes, paprika.)

I can only hope that eating this on New Year's Eve will bring me luck professionally and personally; at the very least, I took solace that night with a bowl of soothing, edible stew (and an easy recipe that I'd revisit all Winter long whenever I need that extra warmth in a bowl!)

Red Lentils & Sausage Stew

Serves 2 as main, 4 as starter

Ingredients:

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 cups water

2 cups coarsely chopped leafy greens (I used Napa cabbage)

1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and drained

1/2 pound sausage, sliced (approx. 2-3 links - I used a chicken-red pepper sausage)

1 ounce Mirin

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

handful of shredded cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat up the cooking oil in a skillet or wok over high heat, add sausage slices and sauté until the slices start to char and curl; remove sausage and set aside.

2. Reduce heat to medium and deglaze the pan with the Mirin, add the garlic, chili flakes, paprika and cayenne pepper.

3. Toss in the greens and vegetable broth, heat to a simmer or until greens are wilted.

4. Add lentils and water, bring it back to a simmer and continue to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and season as needed with salt, chili, pepper, etc. to your liking.

5. Serve, topping with shredded cheese, extra spices and/or bread as needed.

St. Patrick's Brunching . . .

Last week I posted a sneak peek of the cocktail I'm serving for a St. Patrick's brunch with friends, so I figure I might as well blog about the brunch I whipped up for the occasion too.

Along with the Irish-Italian-American, I also had bottles of Killian's Irish Red Ale & Guinness Extra Stout on the ready. And to give the on-time guests something to nibble on while waiting for latecomers, I bought a loaf of Irish soda bread (which apparently has its own preservation society) and some Kerrygold tub butter. Normally I don't keep salted butter around the house, but the salted, creamy Irish butter worked well with the dense, sweet & raisiny bread (and it didn't hurt that Fresh & Easy was having a buy one, get one free promotion either.)

Along with the bread, I also put out some "crunchy greens" of pistachios and wasabi peas.

After everyone arrived, I started tossing my Emerald Isle Salad. Like the "crunchy greens", its homage to Ireland is in name only, being a hodgepodge of different greenish ingredients (spinach, butter lettuce, scallions and pistachio with a wasabi-lime dressing [recipe below]) I originally wanted to throw in some avocados too, but found out the ones I had on hand weren't quite ripe enough yet. Nonetheless, it was tasty and sophisticated at the same time with a myriad of different flavors and textures building upon each other, binded with a dressing that's delightfully tart, a little sweet with just a tinge of sinus-opening pungency from the wasabi and mustard.

For the main course, an Irish Beef Stew (originally intended to be a lamb stew, before I discovered that my local markets sold out of the stewing cuts of lamb...) and, a slightly truer homage to Ireland, Roasted Garlic-Rosemary Potatoes. The stew recipe is pretty basic and super easy... I simply browned two pounds of beef with a little salt and pepper, then tossed that in with bite-sized pieces of celery, scallions and carrots. Then I added a cup of broth and some herbs (rosemary, thyme and oregano) and let it simmer overnight in a slow cooker on the low setting. Lastly, a sprinkle of curly parsley & scallions for a little color and fresh flavor right before serving.

For the taters, I pretty much followed this CHOW recipe with just a few minor tweaks and had fantastic results (crispy, well-seasoned exterior and fluffy starchiness within.) And since both came out piping hot, it was a much appreciated entreé for my friends who drove through the cold & rain for the occasion.

Originally I intended to make some Irish Whiskey truffles for dessert but the ganache didn't quite set in time so I went for a quick sweet fix, Guinness Stout Floats. And one seemed to mind, if the empty goblets afterwards were any indication.

So there you have it, a St. Patrick's Day brunch that provided lots of comfort, yet thrown with little effort -- in tune with my party hosting style. I'm glad to squeeze one final use out of that slow cooker before the warmer days of Spring return, and I definitely plan on remaking that dressing for future salad 

Lime-Wasabi Dressing (simply combine and whisk away!)

4 oz. extra virgin olive oil

1 oz. rice vinegar

juice & zest of 1 lime (preferably organic, since the skin is used)

1 teaspoon green wasabi powder (alternatively, 2 teaspoons wasabi paste)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon brown sugar

a few dashes of freshly-cracked pepper