Sausage and Lentil stew

This was ridiculously good and despite the meat content, didn't feel greasy at all. Fall perfect and worth a definite repeat. We followed this and this recipe among others but mostly for procedure since I used neither the type of lentils nor the type of sausages they recommended.

Ingredients

• Smallest packet smoked pork belly, chopped or pancetta
• 2 packets fresh and cheap sausages (high meat content), sausages cut into 1" pieces (We used salsiccia for this first attempt
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 large carrot, chopped into small pieces
• 8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp dried rosemary 
• 300g dried green/ brown lentils, soaked ~ 30 minutes. 
• 850ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh or frozen flatleaf parsley or scallions

Method 

1. Add the chopped pork belly/ pancetta to a heated dutch oven. Once some oil is released add the sausages and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until nicely browned. Transfer the sausages out on to a plate.
2. Add the onions, carrot and garlic to the pancetta/pork belly and continue to cook for 10 minutes until the onions soften. 
3. Return the sausages to the pan and add the rosemary, lentils, stock, vinegar and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer rapidly for 5 minutes, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every so often until the lentils are tender. 
4. Check the seasoning, scatter over the parsley or scallions.

Chicken, Kale and Mushroom pot pie

This recipe is from here. It was unexpectedly brilliant and I think it is going to make it to our regular rotation of dishes. The main changes from the recipe that we made were that we made more for leftovers, we will add more cornstarch next time, since it was runny and that we will make it with more puff pastry on the top.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp dried or frozen thyme
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 900g chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
• 500g mushrooms (brown or white, but brown preferred for colour), sliced
• 600ml chicken stock
• 200g crème fraîche
• 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 300g kale
• 4.5 tsp cornflour, mixed with 2.5 tbsp cold water
• 500g pack puff pastry, laid out in sheets and thawed
• 1 egg yolk, to glaze

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C. Heat oil at medium heat in a large vessel. Add the onion and cook for 5 mins until transparent and soft. Scatter over the thyme and garlic, and stir for a few minutes. 
2. Turn up the heat and add the chicken, frying until golden but not fully cooked. 
3. Add the mushrooms and the remaining oil and fry for a few minutes. 
4. Add the stock, crème fraîche, mustard and kale, and season well. Add the cornflour mixture and stir until thickened a little. If this doesn't thicken, add more cornstarch, this is how runny the final pie filling will be. 
5. Remove from the heat and transfer to a baking dish. Cover the top of the dish with the puff pastry lid, pressing into the sides of the dish. Bake for 40 mins until the pastry is puffed up and golden.

Brazilian Feijoada

I've made this recipe 3-4 times now and it is this rich, fatty stew that is perfect for cold fall or snow days. It is very flavourful but has very little spice. I followed a couple of different recipes for this over the years but this is a good basis. Major differences are that I usually use this recipe as a vehicle for goan sausage and I use canned black beans instead of fresh. We also love the braised kale/collard greens recipe that is traditionally served with this.

Ingredients

• 3-4 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 pack streaky smoked bacon, cut into slices or 1 pack of smoked pork belly, cut into chunks
• 500g-1000g pork rib or pork shoulder or some other cheap, tough cut of pork
• 3 chorizo cooking sausages/ 1 pack goan sausages/ 1 pack chorizo
• 800g-1.5kg brined bone-in pork leg (rimmat fläsklägg), soaked in water for a few hours, skin removed, cut into a few large pieces
• 3 onion, chopped
• 8 garlic clove, smashed
• Few pinches of chilli flakes
• olive oil, for cooking
• 4 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
• To serve: steamed rice, chopped parsley or spring onions and wedges of oranges

Method

1. Heat a large heavy-based dutch oven and add the bacon/ pork belly and fry until crisp. Remove and keep the oil in the pan. In batches sear the brined pork, sausages and pork shoulder/ribs. Season with pepper, but because of the brined pork, do not salt until the very end. 
2. Remove the meat and set aside. Add the onion, garlic and bay leaves to the dutch oven and fry for 8-12 mins or until soft. 
3. Add the meat, bay leaves, white wine vinegar, chilli flakes and half the beans. Cover with just enough water to cover, about 1000ml. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 2 hrs, or until the meat is tender. If there is too much liquid in the pot take the lid off in the last hr. Add the remaining beans for the last hour. 
4. In the last 15 minutes, remove the meat pieces and shred them into large chunks and remove the bones and bay leaves. Spoon a few table spoons of th
   e beans into a bowl and smash with a fork or pulse in a blender and add back to the stew. 
5. Taste and add salt as needed (I've never needed to add salt) 
6. You can also use a slow cooker (4 hr) starting at the end of step 3.

Update 2023: I have now made this many times, most recently with sausage I picked up in Lisbon, fresh sausage, without rimmat fläsk, just fläsk karre. Also, apple cider vinegar instead of white wine. Made no difference, it was still delicious. 

 

I followed this recipe and we had yummy collard greens on the side with slices of orange.