Cumberland sausage with red wine and lentils

This is a one pot cooking all you need is a frying pan and you have a very tasty dinner. If you are going to use a Cumberland ring sausage then take some skewers and stick them threw it so it holds its self together. Also you do not have to use Cumberland sausages and good quality sausage will do.

You will need
225g/8oz lentils
450ml/1pt water or more or less to cook lentils
750g/1½lb Cumberland sausage
3tbsp oil
300ml/10floz red wine
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 red onions
Some rosemary
Some sage leaves
Some thyme leaves
1 red chilli
2tbsp tomato puree
300ml/10floz beef stock
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt freshly ground black pepper to taste
Some chopped parsley to finish

Take your frying pan and put on a medium heat. Brush your sausages with some of the oil, place them in the pan, and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes turning so they cook on both sides. Once you have done this, take the sausage out and place on a plate.

Now take the rest of the oil and add that to the pan along with the lentils and the water. You want to cook the lentils so that they are starting to go soft. The way to do this is just as if you would make a risotto and add the water a little at a time. The lentils will take on all of the water in this recipe and some will need less some more so you have to suck it and see when cooking them this way. If you are not confident cook them separately in a saucepan for about 15 minutes in salted boiling water and drain them and you should have the right effect.

Once the lentils are cooked, slice the onions and add that to the pan along with the thyme, sage, rosemary, garlic, and chilli. Let it all sweat down then add the tomato puree and the red wine . Let this reduce somewhat and then add the sausage back in to the pan along with the beef stock. Let every thing cook for a while reducing all the sauce down by about half then remove the sausage. To finish add the parsley and stir that in to the sauce and the lentils. Spoon the lentils in to a deep-sided dish place the sausage on top and spoon over any remaining sauce.

All you need now is a good spoon of mashed potatoes and you have a real simple meal fit for a king, the sort of thing you get in a gastro pub but made at home and half the price , if not more.