• Cook the aromatics: Heat the oil and cook the onions, celery, carrots and garlic for 10 minutes on medium heat. Stir intermittently to avoid burning so keep the heat low if necessary. While the soffrito cooks, add the tablespoon of butter, stir it in and continue cooking until the 10 minutes is done.
  3 tbsps. olive oil, 1 onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped/minced, 2 carrots, chopped, 2 celery stalks, rinsed and chopped, 1 tbsp. butter, unsalted, pinch of salt
• Lentils: Add all the ingredients from the lentils group and stir it all in, including the stock and the additional water from the empty tomato can. Increase the heat, bring to a decent simmer.
  2 cups lentils, 410 grams canned diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup water into the empty tomato can and swirl, 1/2 cup red wine, or substitute with stock or water, 2 litres stock, or 8 to 10 cups of water, 2 to 3 bay leaves, 1 tsp. salt and pepper, 1 beef cube in a cup of boiling water
• Simmer: While the lentils simmer the water on the surface will create foam like scum, use a large spoon to skim the surface and discard the foam. You may have to do this twice. Place the lid on the pot and leave it to simmer for 40 minutes but check at least twice to make sure the lentils have enough water and if they need more, add.
• Remove the bay leaves and stir the lentil soup and taste for seasoning. If your lentils need more water, add a little at a time and stir it in. Serve with fresh lemon, and chopped parsley.

Sausage

• Heat the pan: While the lentils cook, make the sausage by heating a skillet or other pan on low to medium heat. Higher temperatures will burn the sausage before it cooks properly on the inside.
  400 grams pork sausage, roughly 5 sausages, room temperature, 1 tbsp. fat
• Add fat: Add about a tablespoon of fat (oil) into the pan while heating. Any fat even duck fat if you want. Butter, vegetable oil, olive oil for cooking etc. The fat improves flavor and texture.
• Cook the sausages: Add the sausages to the pan and cook them until they are browned all round. You will turn them when neccessary but give them time to brown. They should cook for rough 15 minutes. See notes.

Serve

• Once the sausages have rested for 5 minutes after cooking, serve with the cooked lentils, fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley.
  chopped parsley, fresh lemon

Tradional Italian Lentils Recipe

• Cook the lentils, garlic and bay leaves in water coverings them. Add salt, stir and bring to a simmer. Cook on low to medium heat, for about 20 minutes until the garlic cloves are soft. When the garlic cloves are soft enough to be mashed, the lentils will be ready.
  2 cups lentils, water to cover the lentils and add as needed, 2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and whole, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp salt
• Serve with extra virgin olive oil.