INGREDIENTS
½ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling, divided
4 large links of sweet Italian sausage*, removed from the casing
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, cut into crescents
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into crescents
4 cloves garlic, sliced (reserve half for later in the recipe)
Kosher salt to taste
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup brown lentils, sorted
2 bay leaves
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
6 cups water
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 to 4 cups shredded red Swiss chard leaves or kale
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese
PREPARATION
• Heat Œ cup of the olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pot) in a large pot on medium heat and, when it’s hot, add the sausage. Break up the sausage with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onion, celery, carrots, the first two garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, and, if you like your soup spicy, a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir, then add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, water, and salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. (It may be necessary to add more water if the soup gets too thick.)
• When the lentils are cooked, add the Swiss chard and cook until the leaves are tender, just a few minutes more. Discard the bay leaves.
• To finish (and don’t skip this step!), add the remaining Œ cup of olive oil to a small pan along with the remaining garlic; cook on medium heat just until the garlic turns soft (1 to 2 minutes) and then stir that, oil and all, into the soup. Drizzle the soup with more fresh olive oil and Pecorino Romano cheese and pass more cheese at the table. Serve the soup hot. Leftovers will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
* You can also make this with an equal amount of pancetta or use hot Italian sausage, if you like a hint of spice.
This article appears in Guide to Beer 2014.