I cooked and ate this Pot au Feu aux Lentilles a l’Anglaise a few weeks ago. It’s a l’Anglaise on account of some modern English posh banger affair rather than a proper smoked Saucisse de Lyon, and on account of the fact that I haven’t yet found the time to make my own fresh and smoked sausages yet – it’s coming, don’t you worry!
(Depicted here is a variety with smoked duck breast. Also not a bad choice.)
So anyway, I enjoyed this dish on a day when my sense of smell was completely gone thanks to a cold, gone so much that I couldn’t smell the fresh bread baking, not even when I put my nose right next to it.
It’s just too bad that I couldn’t taste it in full capacity. With my much reduced sense of smell and taste, it was gorgeous. I wonder what I missed.
If you want to find out, here’s how it goes:
Prepare vegetable stock with lots of fennel, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, savoy cabbage leaves and any other odd piece of cabbage cut-off that you find. Salt, pepper, some chicken stock and 75 minutes or so on medium heat should get you there. A chunk of smoked belly of pork never goes amiss.
Meanwhile, peel and cut potatoes and carrots into walnut-sized chunks. Fry in olive oil for a couple of minutes, then add a cup of (blue-green) French lentils, and two or three mugs from the vegetable stock. Close the lid and let simmer for 45min. (Make sure to include some vegetable or chicken stock cube, as it greatly accelerates the cooking of the lentils.)
About 30 minutes into the business, put some posh bangers on top of the lentils. They will cook in the steam and contribute their flavour to the dish.
Now prepare the remaining vegetables: clean, break in chunks, but keep separate to allow for individual cooking time: green beans can steam away in a drainer over the stock for 20 minutes. Finely chopped carrots, small cauliflower pieces, sprouting purple broccoli, swiss chard and fennel all stay together as the five minute batch. Large chunks of Savoy cabbage make the 3 minute batch. Another batch consists of any suitable herbs (such as flat leaf parsley, celeriac greens) – the 1 minute batch, together with the green beans. Clean some baby Romaine lettuce heads and cut in half – the 0 minute batch.
Just when the lentils turn tender, drain the vegetable stock. Keep the stock, but discard the worn-out vegetables. Put the stock back on heat and give the wife a 7 minute warning. Stir a large tablespoon of mustard and two tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar into the lentils, season with salt and pepper and let simmer gently.
Add the 5 minute batch to the stock. 2 minutes later, add the 3 minute batch, and another 2 minutes later, add the one minute batch. At the same time, safe the sausages on a plate but add the lentils with potatoes, carrots, and all the juices. Stir gently.
Put one or two halves of baby romaine hearts into each bowl, and ladle the hot pot over it – no cooking for wilted salad! One or two sausages on top, et voila! Pot au Feu aux Lentilles a l’Anglaise.
I had a big, fat cold on that day and couldn’t smell or taste a thing, and it still tasted lovely. I was also shivering and cold all day, and this dish brought warmth to me at long last. What more can you ask of a pot au feu?
I’m a free man!
