French Green Lentils with Grilled Sausages

On the lighter side of resolutions for the new year…
Dear God, my prayer for 2014 is a fat bank account and a thin body.
Please don’t mix these up like you did this year.

So many traditional good luck New Year’s dinner foods to explore, but I usually tend to stay in the beans or polenta category and since Michael was working, a not so fussy winter belly warming choice on a dreary cold day was in order, peppery lentils to go with grilled sausages and peppers and an attempt at making kale chips.  So the kale chips didn’t work out for me all the more reason to try again and I think the oven was the culprit set at “convection” instead of conventional.  Such a simple thing for me to mess up!

Rose’s French Lentils for New Year’s Day

1 and ½ cups dried French lentils
4 cups vegetable and chicken broth – 2 cups of each or a combination of vegetable and beef broth
1 diced fresh Roma plum tomato
2 minced cloves of garlic
1 diced shallot
1 diced carrot
1 diced celery rib
A pinch or two of smoked paprika
*Optional a pinch of fennel seasoning and porcini salt

Season with salt and pepper according to your taste.

Garnish with minced parsley and grated cheese…

A drizzle of olive oil

Add then lentils to a large pot and toss in of the remaining ingredients, bring to boil, turn heat down to low and simmer for at least an hour…French lentils will not get mushy, but do taste for tenderness and cook more adding more liquid if necessary.