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Back in the early 1980′s when I was spending a lot of time in Paris, I lived in a small apartment in the 5th Arrondisement that had been given to me by a good friend “Pierrot”. Both he and his companion Pascale worked as proofreaders for Paris Match, the famous daily Parisian newspaper. They had two apartments at that time so that one or the other could get a decent night’s sleep before going off to work. Our friendship was wonderful. Whenever I retuned to paris, he would say, “David, you can have my apartment, I’ll move back in with Pascale.” Although I was able to speak a rough French at that time, both he and Pascale were able to speak English. I’ll never forget the day that Pascale good naturedly said to me, “Davide, vous parlez Francais comme une vasche Esapa?ol.” (David, you speak French like a Spanish cow.”) One of the great things that came to me through my having that apartment on Rue de L’essai was that it was in an old section of Paris, an area where there were few tourists, and I was able to go shopping for everything I needed right in my neighborhood. Happily, I had absorbed enough French to enable me to get whatever I needed. Because much of my cooking reflected my having spent time in Peru, My French friends loved to come to dinner with me. They of course reciprocated. Pascale was a great cook and I leaned a lot from her. So, today’s dish will be my version of a dish that she made which I loved.

(For one or two.) If you prepare it for more, just multiply the amounts. In cooking lentils, the basic procedure is to allow 3 1/2 times the amount of water for each amount of lentils you wish to cook. Cooking time will vary from 12 to minutes depending on what type of lentils you use. Lentils are available in many sizes and colors.

1/2 cup lentils
1 3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 link Polish sausage (my preference)
1 large onion (chopped)
4 or 5 cloves garlic (minced)
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce (either your home made savory sauce or a good Italian sauce)
your choice of salt and pepper and herbs (I tend to use an Italian or Turkish mix.)

The Process
Cook the lentils in their water. While they’re cooking prepare the other ingredients. Slice the sausage into 1/4 inch slices. Chop the onion; mince the garlic. Begin to saute them in the Olive Oil. When the onion looks golden, add the sausage and tomato sauce. Cook on medium heat until the sausage begins to look cooked. Meanwhile, keep checking the lentils. When they are cooked (you tell by tasting,) drain them well and put them in a baking dish. Pour the sausage and tomato mix over them. Mix them all well. Taste your mix to see if you need any more herbs, or whatever. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare a good mixed salad to accompany the dish. If alone, pour yourself your favorite evening drink. If you’ve invited friends over, open up a bottle of good Italian wine. (I prefer a good Chiante.)

Enjoy.

[tags]lentils and sausage recipe[/tags]

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