Serves 4

Ingredients:

450g Pack sausages

1tsp Fennel seeds, crushed

1tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

200g Puy Lentils

100ml red wine

1tbsp tomato purée

1.5pts stock

Handful of parsley, chopped to finish

Method:

  1. Squeeze the meat from the sausages into a large bowl, add the fennel seeds and mix well with your hands. Shape into walnut size balls.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the meatballs until brown on both sides, but not cooked through. Remove onto a plate.
  3. Sweat off the onions, garlic, carrots and fennel in the same pan, season and put the lid on for 10mins, stirring every so often.
  4. Uncover the vegetables and turn up the heat so they start to colour. Pour in the wine and reduce by half. Then add the lentils, stock and tomato purée, season with salt and pepper then give it a good stir. Put the lid back on and leave to simmer for 25mins. Add the sausage balls and cover for 8mins until cooked. Serve with parsley.