Ingredients
- 1 T plus ¼ cup good extra virgin olive oil plus more for garnishing
- 3 pounds garlic sausage, cut at an angle into ½
- 8 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 stalks celery, trimmed and cut into thirds
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thirds
- 17 ounces De Puy Lentils
- 2 T fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 T kosher or coarse sea salt
- Ground pepper
- 10 cups of chicken stock or more, depending on how thick you like your soup
Directions
- 1Place garlic cloves in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add onion, celery and carrot and pulse until coarsely chopped. Set aside.
- 2Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy gauge pot. A Le Creuset Dutch oven is the perfect pot for this recipe. Brown the sausage on all sides, working in batches. Remove the browned sausage from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the rendered sausage fat in the pot.
- 3Add the chopped vegetables to the fat in the pot and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Take care not to burn.
- 4Add ¼ cup olive oil, lentils, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and let cook about a minute. Add enough chicken stock to cover vegetable and lentil mixture. Bring to a boil and then lower temperature and cook for 10 minutes.
- 5Add 2 cups of chicken stock, more if you prefer a more soup-like consistency. Return sausage to the pot and simmer about an hour uncovered.
- 6Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a crusty piece of bread and a simple salad.
