Moroccan Stewed Lentils w/ Merguez
I stumbled upon this recipe on the Food & Wine website while I was searching around for some new ideas to try with merguez sausage. I have found that a company called D'Artagnan makes a semi-decent version sold through Peapod and I have found their products in a lot of smaller grocers. They also sell wholesale on their website.
Some of the ingredients are a little hard to find so I made the effort to link them below. But I would try really hard to go out of my way to get the Merguez from a butcher if possible. If you're in the New York City area, the Merguez from Pino's Prime Meat Market on Sullivan St. has an excellent product.
This meal is delicious eaten as leftovers or with a fried egg on top the next morning. For chef Mourad Lahlou's recipe see the link above.
Moroccan Stewed Lentils w/ Merguez
(serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
1 lb. Merguez Sausage, skin on (about 12-14 sausages)
1 Medium Onion, halved
6 Garlic Cloves, Peeled (3 minced or pressed through garlic press)
1 Extra Large Carrot, half minced and half cut into an extra large dice
8 oz. French Green Lentils (or 1/2 bag)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Small Butternut Squash, peeled and diced
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Marash Chile Flakes (or crushed red pepper if you have it on hand)
1 tsp Harissa
1 Bay Leaf
2 cups Chicken Stock (homemade if possible)
1, 14 oz can Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
1 Jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
Salt & Pepper, to taste
2 Lemons, cut into wedges for serving
1/4 cup Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped for serving
8 oz. Fage 0% Greek Yogurt for serving
1/4 cup Crumbled Domestic Feta
Flatbread, Naan or Pita, for serving
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets. Bake Merguez 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
2. Spoon roughly 2 tbsp Merguez fat over the butternut squash in a bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Bake until crispy and golden, about 30-45 minutes.
3. In a medium pot add lentils, extra large chopped carrot, bay leaf, one half onion, 1 tsp salt and 3 garlic cloves. Cover with roughly 3 inches or so of water.
4. Bring lentils to a boil and stir gently. Then, turn down to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes. You may have to add more water as lentils cook depending on the size of your pot.
5. Drain lentils. Discard bay leaf, onion, and garlic cloves. Set aside.
6. Set any heavy, high sided skillet, dutch oven, pot or cast iron pan over medium heat. Add 3 tsp olive oil. Finely chop remaining onion half and add it to pan with the minced garlic and carrot. Saute until onion is translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, paprika, marash, and cayenne. Cook one minute until fragrant. Add chicken stock, tomatoes with their juices, and harissa paste. Simmer 15 minutes.
7. Fold in lentils and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold in butternut squash chunks.
8. Add merguez sausage links, pressing them into the lentils but still keeping them visible. Dollop greek yogurt to your liking on the very top layer. Sprinkle with feta and chopped parsley and squeeze two lemon wedges over the finished pan.
9. Serve the entire pan family style with a pile of your favorite flat bread as pictured above and enjoy!