Head trips and Memories (and of course food!)

I caught up with an old college friend this week and we spent our time reminiscing about the good 'ole days at SMU. Where has 25 years gone? we moaned to each other. She has 2 kids, I have 4; she's in the US, I'm in Blighty. We promised each other that one of us would fly across the pond so we could continue our daydreams over a Starbucks.

Meanwhile, as she described her terminal fight against 'carbs' (what is it with Yanks and their carbs?!), I promised her a recipe without carbs. Something with protein and lentils maybe? She assumed the addition to lentils meant it would be a soup. Honey, there is so much more that you can do with the humble lentil! I should know, I have vast containers of every type and colour of lentil known to man in my kitchen. Comes with being married to a bloke from Southeast Asia.

I recently stumbled across this recipe and fell so in love that my local butcher is rationing my sausage purchase. I'm sure I'll thank Ben -Hamou the butcher one day.

So here you go Shaz, my little Boston bean, a nice winter warmer to keep them old bones warm in the Boston chill. I'll even name it after you!

Sausage and Lentil Hotpot DiOrio

1 tbsp olive oil
400g pack sausages
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tspn ground cumin
1 tspn ground coriander
1 red peper, sliced
250g lentils (I used split green lentils which I soaked for a number of hours first)
150ml vegetable stock
125ml red wine or extra stock (I chose the extra stock but I cut down the amount to 100ml so it wasn't too saltly)

1. Heat oil in a pan, cook the sausages until browned, then remove. Tip in onion, garlic and pepper, then cook, about 5 mins more until softened. Add the cumin and coriander and stir. Then add lentils and sausages to the pan with the stock and wine, if using.

2. Bring up to the boil, then simmer for 20 mins (or longer if lentils are taking their time to soften) and sausages are cooked through.