Braised sausages, lentils and fennel

Ingreadient

• Olive oil
• 6-8 outdoor reared pork sausages (check they’re gluten and/or dairy free if you need them to be)
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• Pinch aleppo pepper (or ½ tsp regular chilli flakes)
• 1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
• 150ml wine (red or white)
• 2 x 400g tins green lentils
• 150ml beef or chicken stock
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Instruction

1. Heat the oven to 190°C fan/gas 6½. Set a large flameproof casserole or wide ovenproof frying pan on a low-medium heat and drizzle in a little olive oil. Fry the sausages for about 8 minutes, turning, until browned all over.
2. While the sausages brown, peel and finely slice the onions and garlic. Trim the fennel, reserving any nice fronds, and cut the bulbs into wedges. Crush the  fennel seeds with a pestle and mortar.
3. When the sausages are ready, transfer them to a plate. Add the fennel wedges to the sausage pan and turn up the heat a little. Fry until browned, then stir in the onions, garlic and crushed fennel seeds. Fry, stirring, for 5 minutes, then stir in the aleppo pepper and tomato purée. Stir-fry for another minute, then add the wine. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 3 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in the lentils, including their liquid, with the stock and red wine vinegar, then season well. Put the browned sausages on top, bring to the boil, then cover with a lid.
4. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid from the pan, return to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes until everything is nicely browned and the lentils are thickened. Serve scattered with the reserved fennel fronds.