El Diablo Sausage and Lentil Stew

Courtesy of Joseph T. Bonanno Jr.

www.chefbonanno.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage
8 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 pound dried lentils, rinsed
1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Hot red pepper sauce to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Pierce the sausage casings with a fork and add to the pot. Cook until they are browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pot and drain off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat. Cut the sausages into ¼-inch slices and return to the pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often until the onion softens. Add the chicken broth, water and lentils. Stir, then bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and spices. Increase the heat to return the pot to a boil, stirring often. Reduce again to low and simmer about 20 minutes until the lentils are tender.

Put out a bottle of your favorite hot pepper sauce to spice things up even more.

Serves 6-8
Tip: Because this is a stew, you can slide it off the heat when a call comes in and return to it later without ruining the dish.