Sausage, chard and lentil stoup

I need a hobby. Or rather, I need several more hobbies.  Since B and I work and travel a lot, I’ve noticed that the house is the first thing to suffer.  Not the day to day picking up or laundry, but the deep cleaning.  To keep it from looking like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, I spent most of my little weekend free time cleaning and I just didn’t want to do it anymore. I wanted my free time to be exactly that, free. Since I cannot and will not suffer dirt, we decided our best choice was to hire a cleaning service to come every three weeks to do the big stuff, to allow us to focus on more important things.  Only one problem – now I don’t know what to do with myself.  The first weekend I didn’t spend scrubbing toilets was bliss.  Pure, unadulterated contentment.  And then I was bored.  I blogged. I exercised. I Facebook surfed. I reorganized the pantry. I read. I read some more. I watched TV.  And then finally it hit me as I watched Rachael Ray make this recipe.  So obvious I could hardly believe it took me so long to discover the solution to my boredom – the kitchen!!

One quick trip to the grocery store for a few ingredients and my day was made. I spent hours in front of the stove making homemade bolognese to freeze for later meals, cocoa brownies to use up the three containers of dutch processed cocoa I’d discovered lurking in our pantry the week before, and finally, this sausage, kale and lentil stoup.  To thick to be a soup, but too runny to be a stew, stoup covers it.  It is hearty and filling while still good for you.  Here is the link to the original recipe.  The recipe below is modified according to my preferences and to make for a leaner, healthier dish.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1 pound hot chicken or turkey sausage, bulk or casing removed

1 onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped, leafy tops reserved

4 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large Idaho (russet) potato, peeled and chopped into small dice

1 Fresno or Holland chile pepper, thinly sliced or finely chopped

2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, chopped or sliced

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bundle red chard, stemmed and very thinly sliced

Freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup white wine

1 3/4 cups lentils

4 cups chicken stock 

2 cups water

Directions

In a soup pot or large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Add the sausage, breaking it into pieces, and cook until lightly brown. Add the onions, celery, carrots, potato, chile pepper*, rosemary, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper, and cook to soften, 8 to10 minutes. 

Wilt in the chard, and season the  leaves with a little freshly grated nutmeg. Stir in the tomato paste for 30 seconds, then add white wine. Cook to reduce by 1/2 and stir in the lentils, stock, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the soup until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately or cool, store, and reheat. 

*The chili pepper can be easily left out for those who don’t like the heat.  While it adds a nice depth, there are plenty of other flavors in this dish to go around.  It’s not necessary.