MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Slow Cooker Lentil Soup w/Sausage & Greens
Categories: Pork, Vegetables, Herbs, Wine, Greens
Yield: 6 servings

1 lb Hot or sweet Italian pork
- sausage
Olive oil; if necessary
1 lg Red or yellow onion;
- chopped
Salt
6 cl Garlic; chopped
1 ts Onion powder
1 ts Garlic powder
3 Thyme sprigs
2 Oregano sprigs; leaves only
+=OR=+
1 ts Dried oregano
Generous pinch of red-pepper
- flakes
Fresh ground black pepper
3/4 c Dry white wine
1 Bay leaf
2 c Dried lentils; pref black
- beluga
14 oz Can whole or chopped
- tomatoes
8 c Chicken stock
5 oz Greens; such as baby spinach
- or kale
+=OR=+
1 md Bunch greens; such as chard
- or kale, stemmed, chopped
1 tb Red-wine vinegar
Chopped fresh basil; for
- topping
Grated Parmesan; for
- topping

In a large, dry skillet over medium-high heat, cook the
sausage, breaking it up with a spatula, until it is in
small, coarse pieces, and starts to brown and sizzle in
its own fat, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon,
transfer the cooked sausage to a 5- to 8-quart slow
cooker. There should be a thin layer of fat covering the
bottom of the skillet. If there is much more than that,
pour a bit of the fat off. If there is not enough fat to
cover the bottom of the pan, add a drizzle of olive oil.

Add the onion to the skillet, season generously with
salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened
and translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to
medium-low, add garlic and cook until softened and
fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic
powders, the herbs, red-pepper flakes and several
generous grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine.
Increase heat to medium-high, pour in the wine and stir
well, scraping the bottom of the pot. Let the wine
bubble until the pan is almost dry, about 3 minutes.

Scrape the skillet mixture into the slow cooker with the
sausage. Add the bay leaf and the lentils. Add the
tomatoes with their juice. If using whole, crush the
tomatoes into pieces using your hands as you add them
with their juice. Pour in the chicken stock. Season
generously with pepper and add 2 teaspoon salt if you
are using low-sodium stock or 1 teaspoon salt if using
homemade unsalted stock. Do not add salt now if you are
using fully salted stock. Stir well to combine all
ingredients. Cover and cook on low until the lentils are
tender, about 6 to 8 hours. (Taste the lentils to make
sure they are firm but creamy on the inside; black
lentils can vary in their cooking time depending on
their age and the heat of your slow cooker.) The soup
holds well on warm for 2 additional hours.

Switch the heat to high. Remove and discard the thyme
sprigs. Stir in the greens and cook until wilted and
tender, about 2 minutes for baby spinach, 10 minutes for
kale. Stir in the vinegar. Serve in bowls, topped with
chopped basil and grated Parmesan.

By: Sarah DiGregorio

Yield: 6 servings

RECIPE FROM: https://cooking.nytimes.com

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