Eating 30 plants a week may sound like a lot, but HUGH FEARNLEY-WHITTINGSTALL makes it easy in his new book, How to Eat 30 Plants a Week: 100 recipes to boost your health and energy.

As winter approaches, here’s a recipe to warm you up!

When there’s a chill in the air, there’s nothing better than a big steaming pot of sausage and lentils – with lots of lovely veg in there too. Every version of this I make is a little different depending on what’s in the garden or the larder. The apple and sage finish is a brilliant addition from Kitty Coles, who helped test many of the recipes in this book.

Sausage and Lentils with Apple and Sage

INGREDIENTS

Oil or fat for cooking
6 well-seasoned butcher’s sausages
2 tsp fennel or caraway seeds (optional)
2 large onions, chopped
2 large or 3 medium carrots, scrubbed or peeled and roughly chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
200g celeriac, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
200g Puy, green or brown lentils
2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
3 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp English mustard
1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
800ml vegetable or chicken stock
100g kale or cavolo nero, coarse stalks removed, roughly chopped
Sea salt and black pepper

Topping (optional)

1 large or 2 medium eating apples
12-15 sage leaves

METHOD

Heat a little oil or fat in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the sausages and cook for 5-7 minutes, turning, until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Toss the fennel or caraway seeds, if using, into the pan and fry for a minute or so, then add the onions, carrots, celery and celeriac. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the veg are starting to soften, stirring often and scraping up any brown bits from the sausages. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.

Now add the paprika, lentils, rosemary, thyme, mustard and a few twists of pepper. Spoon in the tomato purée and stir well. Cut each sausage into 3 or 4 pieces and add back to the casserole. Pour on the stock, then add enough water just to cover everything. Stir well and bring to a simmer.

Lower the heat and simmer very gently, uncovered, for 25 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the veg and lentils are tender. Stir in the kale or cavolo and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the apple and sage topping if you fancy it. Quarter and core the apple(s) and cut into 3cm chunks. Heat a little oil or fat in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat, then add the apple(s). Fry for 3 minutes until glazed, tossing and stirring occasionally, and seasoning with a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper halfway through. Tip into a warmed bowl. Add a dash more oil to the pan, toss in the sage leaves and fry for 1–2 minutes to crisp up.

Taste the casserole for seasoning, adding more if needed. Ladle into warmed plates or bowls and top each portion with a spoonful of apples and a few crispy sage leaves, if serving.

Swaps and Additions

Use swede or turnips instead of the celeriac, and/or spinach or chard in place of the kale.

For a spicier version, use chorizo sausages: cut into 1cm chunks and fry to release their spicy fat before adding the veg.

To vary the topping, try adding a few crumbled chestnuts to the pan with the apple(s). •

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a multi-award-winning writer and broadcaster known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and his concern for the environment.

He has earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV series and books, as well as campaigns such as Hugh’s Fish Fight, Hugh’s War on Waste and his latest, Britain’s Fat Fight and, his latest, War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita.

Hugh’s early smallholding experiences were shown in the Channel 4 River Cottage series and led to the publication of The River Cottage Cookbook (2001), which won the Glenfiddich Trophy and the André Simon Food Book of the Year award. Thirteen more books have followed.

Hugh established River Cottage HQ in Dorset in 2004, and the operation is now based at Park Farm near Axminster in Devon. A hub for a broad range of courses and events, and home to the River Cottage Cookery School.

Hugh’s broadcasting has earned him a BAFTA as well as awards from Radio 4, The Observer and the Guild of Food Writers.

Hugh continues to work as a journalist and is a vice president of Fauna and Flora International and a patron of Switchback, a charity that helps young offenders find opportunities in the catering industry.

Hugh, his wife Marie and their four children divide their time between East Devon and Bristol.

Visit Hugh Farley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage website