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| Braised Sausages and Red Lentil Stew |
This Braised sausage and red lentil stew recipe leans on pantry staples and a straightforward technique found in my grandma’s fascinating recipe book entitled 'A Real Gem: Tried and Tested Recipes' published in 1971 by the Eastern Bay of Plenty Country Women’s Institute, Whakatane, New Zealand, for the federation's 40th anniversary. The book is full of recipes submitted by women who kept households running on tight budgets, with a foreword commenting on the housewife of today needing to make the most of her housekeeping money. In the 21st century 'housewife' becomes 'household' - we're all looking to make the most of our grocery shop spending as the cost-of-living creeps higher and higher.
This particular recipe is one based on that submitted for the book by Ngila Turpie she called "Super Sausages" which I adapted to add a modern twist. And "super" they are: the simplicity of her base sauce ingredients is surprising and with only a few minutes of chopping and simmering to produces a pan of rich, tasty, satisfying flavor far removed from anything like today's modern jars and packet mixes.
The base starts with onion and celery gently cooked in pork lard followed by the sausages coated in flour, nutmeg and brown sugar. Pork lard is fabulous to cook with: it only needs a small amount and gives a flavour depth you simply can’t replicate with neutral oil or butter. Red lentils next add body and help thicken the sauce followed by a can of cheapest plain chopped tomatoes you can buy as they tend to contain much lower sugar and salt if any (check the label), then the chopped carrot and Ngila's familiar pantry seasonings for the sauce.
The flavoring is classic and unfussy: brown sugar for balance, Worcester sauce for savory depth, tomato sauce for roundness, and a splash of vinegar to lift everything. My twist is adding plain canned tomatoes, a handful of spicy chorizo or salami and the red lentils for a one-pan meal rather than casseroling as Ngila suggests. Still, nothing fancy, nothing expensive - just the same ingredients older kitchens relied on and most of us still have in the back of the pantry.
After a gentle simmer, the sausages turn tender, the lentils absorb the tomato base, and the sauce thickens beautifully. Serve with mash, rice, or crusty bread. It’s practical, hearty, make‑ahead friendly, and even better the next day.
Ingredients
6 fresh sausages (venison or beef)
Handful of spicy salami or chorizo chunks
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
½ stalk celery, finely sliced
Pork lard, for frying (about 1 tbsp)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
½ cup red lentils
1 can plain peeled chopped tomatoes + 1 can water
2 tbsp flour
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
Method
Cut the sausages into four-five pieces each. In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and nutmeg. Toss the sausage pieces in the flour mixture to coat and set aside, keeping the leftover flour to add to the sauce later.
Heat the lard in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté until softened.
Add a little more lard if needed, then add the sausages to brown.
While the sausages brown, mix together the Worcester sauce, tomato sauce, and vinegar.
Reduce the heat. Sprinkle the reserved flour over the sausages and stir to coat, letting it absorb the pan flavours.
Add the salami or chorizo, diced carrot, canned tomatoes, lentils, Worcester mixture, and one can of water. Stir everything together over low heat until the mixture thickens.
Serve in warm bowls with crusty bread or sliced bread and butter. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley if you have it.
Did you make this? Let me know what you thought in the comments.
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