FOODIE FRIDAY -- Lentil Stew with Hot Italian Sausage

There’s only one reason to like cold weather, and it comes under the category of SOUPS and STEWS.

I had lentils. I had ham. I had three recipes. What more could I ask for?

Well, I decided to make this stoup (stew/soup) in the crock pot because I knew I would be in and out all day on Monday, which was Martin Luther King Day and the kidlet was out of school. But, which recipe?

I decided to do a combination of all three recipes, and this is the result of my endeavor. And no, I didn’t use the ham . . . I opted for the hot Italian sausage from the freezer.

*soak the lentils overnight* I didn’t do that and they were . . . um, slightly crunchy.*

Lentil Stew with Hot Italian Sausage

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 small new potatoes, diced
1 Tbls. salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. thyme
2 tsp. ground savory
2 bay leaves
1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed and broken up
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 lb brown lentils, rinsed, sorted and soaked
5 cups chicken broth

Place all ingredients into crockpot. Turn on high for 2 hours. Stir. Turn to low for 6-8 hours. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste.

To make it more soup-y use only ½ lb lentils (1/2 bag).

 Enjoy! 

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Savory Stew with Dumplings

A long time ago (sometime after college), I picked up a Gold Medal flour cookbook. This is a wonderful go-to book for almost any type of recipe that would use flour. This is an easy comfort food type of stew and one of my fall back recipes for winter.  

Savory Stew with Dumplings

½ cup flour

2 to 3 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks (or smaller)
3 Tbls oil
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 Tbls snipped parsley
½ tsp thyme
1 ½ cups ¼-inch slices carrots
1 cup ¼-inch slices celery
2 medium onions, sliced
4 cups ¾-inch cubed, unpared potatoes

Herb Dumplings (see below)

Mix flour, salt and pepper. Coat beef with flour mixture. Heat oil in Dutch oven until hot; add beef and remaining flour mixture. Cook and stir until beef is brown. Add water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 ½ hours. Add bay leaf, parsley, thyme and vegetables. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Prepare Herb Dumplings. Drop by spoonfuls onto hot beef or vegetables (do not drop directly into liquid). Cook uncovered over low heat 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.

Herb Dumplings

3 Tbls shortening

1 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp dried sage
¼ tsp dried thyme
¾ cup milk

Cut shortening into flour, baking powder, salt, sage and thyme until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk.

Enjoy!!