A feast that doesn’t break the bank but does tickle the taste buds
Things are expensive but this juicy sausages and lentil stew with tangy salsa verde hits the spot.
- SERVES: 4
- PREP TIME: 15 mins
- COOKING TIME: 30 mins
- DIFFICULTY: easy
- IDEAL FOR: midweek meal, weekend meal
- BUDGET: £
The cost of living is high
So, it’s getting harder and harder to do and buy the things we were accustomed to 18 months ago.
It’s amazing how a war can disrupt the world economy.
And horrific what a nasty, narcissistic, deluded, corrupt leader of a nation can rain down on innocent people and its country.
But sadly, this is where they are and where we are.
This means, until this tragic war ends, life is going to remain a little tighter than pre-war.
But that doesn’t mean, you have to go back to cheap, supermarket meat.
The stuff you can’t trace to a farm in the UK.
Or be sure of best practices in sustainable farming.
It just means we need to shift a little.
Cutting back
Personally, we have done that already by cutting back on our meat intake (for environmental factors as well as cost).
And bringing in more vegetarian dishes…
You’ll notice I love to use beans, a lot.
But they are cheap, can be stored in your cupboard, and are great for your protein intake.
As for meat, it’s all about high-welfare sausages and buying just one piece of steak, slicing it thinly, and serving it on a salad.
This recipe ticks the cheap and healthy box 3 times.
You have high-quality saussies.
Lentils which are full of goodness.
And a salsa verde for your green element.
Salsa verde
Salsa verde improves just about anything it touches.
I discovered salsa verde a few years back when I cooked this epic Jonathan Waxman chicken.
I followed the salsa verde recipe to the letter.
Until I realised there are loads of versions of this little vibrant green sauce.
Salsa Verde literally means “green sauce”.
This herby, savoury sauce is made with olive oil and an abundance of green leaves.
Which can be served with meat and seafood.
As long as you pick fresh green herbs, then you can make a fresh and tangy salsa verde in 5 mins.
The ingredients to make salsa verde are super simple, all you need is; fresh basil and parsley, garlic, anchovies, gherkins, capers, lemon, olive oil, and chilli flakes.
Or versions of this.
In Piedmont, where salsa verde typically includes anchovy and capers and goes by the name bagnet vert.
Other versions feature a small amount of fresh rocket.
The version below is from Great Italian Chefs.
Salsa verde recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp of salted capers, heaped and rinsed in cold water
- 1 – 2 salted anchovy fillets, rinsed in cold water
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 100g of flat-leaf parsley, fresh
- 1 handful of rocket, or 1 handful of basil leaves
- 70g of extra virgin olive oil
Recipe: Pipers
Juicy sausage and lentil stew with tangy salsa verde
Ingredients
- 6 high-welfare pork sausages
- 250 g bacon lardons
- 2 x 400 g tinned green lentils
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Make a salsa verde (see blog post)
- In a large pan, heat some olive oil, add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for 10 mins until nice and soft. Add the garlic for 2 mins.
- Drain the tinned lentils and add to the pan. Add a little salt and stir until the lentils are well coated with the oil and vegetables.Add some water – to stop the lentils from drying out – and keep on a low heat to make sure everything is warmed through.
- In a frying pan, cooked the sausages with a little oil until they are cooked through and nicely browned – approx 10 mins. Remove from the heat.Remove the lentils from the heat and add a splash of vinegar to taste, checking the seasoning – adding more salt and pepper if necessary, to taste.Serve the lentils with the sausages and a big dollop of salsa verde.