Lentils & Swine

If you’re anything like my bank account — your sole experience with them being such that you were sucked dry — you may not realize pigs are actually a symbol of prosperity. But they are. And eating pork as you ring in the new year, is thought to bring a little of that prosperity your way in the twelve months that follow.

Now, as a rule, I’m not a superstitious person, but I’m also not above stacking the deck in my favor, just in case. So when I started concocting a lucky New Year’s meal in my head I didn’t stop with swine.

Lentils — being shaped like tiny coins and having the tendency to grow when cooked (growing fortune? yes, please.) — and various greens, such as collards and cabbage — being, well, green like paper money — are traditional harbingers of wealth as well. So I combined them all in a big old soup pot. Because if we’re going to be prosperous, we may as well be really prosperous, right? Right!

And I won’t even lie to you, I mostly picked Savoy Cabbage because it’s pretty. Kale, spinach, and even your basic, regular, everyday cabbage would work just fine if Savoy is not available to you.

Spicy Sausage & Lentil Soup

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Spicy sausage, lentils, and Savoy cabbage make a filling — and lucky — New Year’s dish.

Author: Diana Prichard

Recipe type: Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound Spicy Sausage, cut into coins
• 2 small Cooking Onions, diced
• 1 pint Pork Stock
• 1 pint Water
• 1 24oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
• ½ small head Savoy Cabbage, Chopped Course
• 2 Cups Red Lentils
• ½ tsp Oregano
• ¼ tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• Sea Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Brown sausage and onions.
2. Add stock, water, tomatoes, cabbage, lentils, and spices. Stir well.
3. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage wilts and lentils are cooked through, 30-45 minutes.

3.1.09

Disclaimer: Under “Serves” this recipe would best be described as “An Army”. It fills a 7 quart pot without a second thought. If you’re not serving a crowd this New Year you may want to halve the ingredients. Otherwise, you can always freeze it in single serving portions for quick and easy lunches throughout the winter.

Third Disclaimer: If you like a thicker soup you can use more lentils or reduce the liquid. You decide. Just remember they swell up when cooked, absorbing the liquid, so give them a few minutes of simmering before making any rash decisions.