French Lentil Soup with Wild Boar Sausage

  

The Pyramids at Giza, the Acropolis of Athens, the Statue of Liberty - what do they all share?  They, along with French Gastronomy, are all United Nations world heritage designees.  What does cooking share with towering monuments of mankind?  They are all examples of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity.  That is a mouthful, but what makes French cuisine a mouthful worth international distinction?  It is a style that forsakes the heavy use of spices.  Indeed, the ingredients of French cuisine can be found at any local market:  onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, chicken stock.  How could ingredients so plain create cuisine so masterful?  Certainly, we have the refined French technique.  We also have the delicate sauces.  But truly, why did the UN recently name French cuisine one of the world’s intangible treasures?  It cited French gastronomy as a “social custom aimed at celebrating the most important moments in the lives of individuals and groups."  I personally think that is code for drinking wine at lunch.  But of course, the French have given us so much more, and when I say course, I mean course.  They are recognized as the founders of a structured multi-course meal.  Isn’t appetizer a French word?  And don’t we think of a progression from light to heavy and then dessert?  And why do we put the silverware where we do?

  

For me tonight, French cuisine represented its most simple, rural roots.  I was not in search of a Michelin restaurant menu.  I did not desire a sauce with my filet.  Nor did I want even multi-courses.  I went to the plain, the rustic, the beautiful.  What is more beautiful than a leek?  An onion?  A garlic clove?  Is there a more perfect herb than thyme?  What is more fulfilling on a crisp fall day than a French green lentil, so delicate, yet so firm.  And can you inspire more of a connection with falling leaves, the forest ground, the smell of nuts than a wild boar?  Thus, tonight, there was no coconut milk, no chiles, no yogurt.  There was only the sight of the woods, the sound of a crunching boot walking through the woods, the smell of a soup at the end of a long walk.  Whether your knife blade is facing toward the plate or your water glass is on the right, you will be rewarded by this cultural treasure.  Serves 4.
    
Ingredients:
1/2 lb French green lentils
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large leek, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 sausages, such as boar, duck or chicken
     
Directions:
Microwave a bowl of water to near boiling and add the lentils to soak.  Warm 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion, leek, garlic, thyme, cumin, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes.   Add the celery and carrots and cook 5 minutes more.  Drain the lentils and add to the pot, along with the stock and tomato paste.  Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for up to 1 hour.  Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium-high and add 1 tbsp oil.  When hot, add the sausages and brown quickly on all sides.  When the soup is largely done, add the sausages and cook for 5 minutes more.  Ladle into bowls and serve with grated Parmesan over the top if desired.