Cotechino Sausage and Braised Lentils

Serves: 6
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 small red onion or 1/4 of a big red onion,€ finely diced
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
1 garlic clove € skinned and sliced
2 cups (400g) puy lentils
3/4 cup (200ml) white wine
3/4 cup (200ml) veal or chicken stock
2 pounds (1 kg) cotechino sausage
3 crisp, sweet and sharp apples (½ apple per person)
1 bergamots (may be substituted with grapefruit)
1 & 1/2 cups (50g) chives Vegetable Oil to heat the pan
Salt and Pepper to taste
1oz (25g) of butter
1 bunch chives, finely sliced

Directions:
1. Place a heavy bottomed pan on a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and then the red onion, season with a pinch of salt. Stir the pan gently and sweat the onions for a couple of minutes.

2. Add the thyme, bay leaves and garlic. When the onions are translucent add the puy lentils. Immediately add the wine and stock, gently lay the cotechino on top. Stick a lid on it all, and let it simmer down for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the sausage has heated through, and the fat has softened.

3. Meanwhile, cut the apple into slices, squeezing the bergamot over the top both to stop oxidation and seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper. Then cut your slices into thinner slices. After 20 minutes, remove the sausage from the pan and add a little bit of butter to emulsify all of the juices in the pan.

4. Carve the sausage into thick slices to serve. Discard the thyme and bay leaves and pile the lentils onto a plate, place the cotechino on top, and scatter the apple slices around. Finish with a final squeeze of bergamot juice and a handful of chives.