Spending Money to Save Money

One of my largest expenses is groceries. I love to cook (and eat) and normally will spend whatever it takes to make the finest meals. Now that the economy is in the toilet, I've been doing my best to conserve our money. I've been trying out the store brands of canned beans, tomatoes, pickles and olives and found they are quite similar in quality to the name brands. Waning vision has caused me to dismantle the shelving price displays in order to bring the small card with the tiny print nearer my eyes and closer to the nearest light. Having to check and compare the price-per-ounce of everything causes me great distress as math is not my strong suit. The whole shopping expedition takes much, much longer as I roam the aisles looking for bargains. Fortunately, I'm retired and it doesn't matter how long it takes. It's so worth it in the end when the receipt shows my savings for my efforts.

I seized upon a bag of lentils (store brand) for $1.59. Knowing I could make a big batch of cost-efficient soup which would last all week fit into my plans against waste. I didn't get to use them right away as we were out of town for a few days. I came down with a cold on the return flight and didn't relish the idea of grocery shopping for our dinner. It was a perfect time to try out the new recipe for Sausage and Lentil Stew as I thought I had all of the ingredients. Unfortunately, I discovered the recipe called for one pound of andouille sausage which I didn't have on hand. The recipe also only needed 8 ounces of lentils, not the 16 that I had. I figured since I had to go grocery shopping anyway to get the sausage, I would just double the whole recipe because I certainly didn't want to waste 8 ounces of lentils. That would have been 79 cents wasted. Instead I spent another fifteen dollars doubling everything! It wouldn't fit into one pot so I had to try and divide it into two pots mid-way through cooking. The final straw was when I forgot to use low-salt chicken broth and added too much Kosher salt. Other than kicking myself the whole time for my stupidity at doubling the recipe and adding too much salt, it was, overall, a very successful recipe.

Should you choose to be wasteful, you may discard the extra 8 ounces of lentils and prepare the recipe below as intended:

Sausage and Lentil Stew

3 slices thick-cut bacon, diced (about 4 ounces)
1 very large yellow onion, diced
3 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 bay leaves
8 ounces lentils, picked over and rinsed and drained
1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch-thick diagonal slices
3 cups coarsely chopped fresh kale
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice
6 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 teaspoons Kosher salt (make sure broth is low-sodium)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Grated Parmesan
Hot sauce (optional)

In a large, heavy pot, cook bacon over medium heat until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon pieces and drain on paper towels. Reserve for garnishing. Keep the bacon fat in the pan.

Add onion, carrots, celery and bay leaves to the bacon fat. Lower heat to medium-low and cook until very tender, stirring frequently.

Stir in lentils, sausage, and kale. Add the tomatoes, crushing with your fingers. Add chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer one hour, covered, until lentils are tender. Add one tablespoon red wine vinegar. Stir, taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Ladle into bowls and top with reserved bacon bits and some grated Parmesan cheese. Kick it up a notch with a splash of hot sauce if desired.

Unless you are very good at freezing and reheating, or if you want too eat this every day for lunch and dinner for a few weeks, I would suggest only making the recipe as it stands. The extra 8 ounces of lentils will keep for another time. Too bad I didn't think of that.

Enjoy!