Omnivore

As often happens I bought an ingredient for a dish I was making and then had leftovers of the ingredient. In this case it was fennel. I set about looking for recipes that included fennel and found one that was for lentils, sausage, and vegetables including fennel. This Food and Wine recipe looked a lot like my regular lentil stew except that it included fennel and had a mustard vinaigrette along with some other fussy stuff like walnuts that I did not include. I also used turkey sausage and regular lentils. I cooked the vegetables and the sausage together and then put that mixture in a bowl while I cooked the lentils. When the lentils were done I put the veg and sausage back in to warm it up. The vinaigrette went on our individual bowls along with the parsley.

Warm lentil and sausage salad

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, plus more for serving
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1/2 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 pounds garlic sausages, preferably French
• 1 1/2 cups green lentils, preferably du Puy (10 ounces)
• 2 shallots, halved
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup shelled walnuts (4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus more for serving 

1. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with the mustard. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup of the olive oil, whisking constantly, until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large nonreactive pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the carrots and fennel, and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Place the vegetables on a plate.
3. In the same pot, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Add the sausage, and cook over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils, shallots, thyme, bay leaf, and 5 cups of water; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using tongs, remove the sausage to a work surface. Cover and cook the lentils until tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the walnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet, and toast until browned, 8 to 9 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Let cool, and coarsely chop.
5. Partially drain the lentils, leaving them saucy. Discard the shallots, thyme, and bay leaf. Add the carrots and fennel to the lentils, season with salt and pepper, and toss with the vinaigrette. Thinly slice the sausage, and add to the lentils. Stir in the 1/4 cup of parsley. Top with the walnuts, sprinkle with more parsley, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with mustard.