BRAISED SAUSAGES WITH FENNEL AND LENTILS

Georgina Hayden’s braised sausages with fennel and lentils is a weeknight winner. A one-pot family dinner that doesn’t skimp on flavour.

INGREDIENTS Serves 4

Olive oil
6-8 pork sausages
2 onions
4 garlic cloves
1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Pinch aleppo pepper
1 heaped tablespoon tomato purée
150ml wine (red or white)
2 x 400g tins green lentils
150ml beef or chicken stock
1 tablspoon red wine vinegar

METHOD

Heat the oven to 190°C

Set a large flameproof casserole or wide ovenproof frying pan on a low-medium heat and drizzle in a little olive oil. Fry the sausages for about 8 minutes, turning, until browned all over.

While the sausages brown, peel and finely slice the onions and garlic. Trim the fennel, reserving any nice fronds, and cut the bulbs into wedges. Crush the  fennel seeds with a pestle and mortar.

When the sausages are cooked, transfer them to a plate. Add the fennel wedges to the sausage pan and turn up the heat a little. Fry until browned, then stir in the onions, garlic and crushed fennel seeds. Fry, stirring, for 5 minutes, then stir in the aleppo pepper and tomato purée. Stir-fry for another minute, then add the wine. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 3 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in the lentils, including their liquid, with the stock and red wine vinegar, then season well. Put the browned sausages on top, bring to the boil, then cover with a lid.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid from the pan, return to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes until everything is nicely browned and the lentils are thickened.

Serve scattered with the reserved fennel fronds.

Original Recipe  Greekish by Georgina Hayden