Ragout des Vendangeurs - 'Grape Picker's Stew'

In October, to mark the grape harvest season, our recipe of the month is 'Grape-Picker's Stew' - wholesome enough to keep the grape-pickers' energy levels up through the harvest! 

Ingredients

• 8 slices of streaky smoked bacon
• 8 large sausages (we recommend Toulouse, beef or venison)
• 4 onions cut up into large chunks
• 200g of dry green lentils (Puy)
• 2-4 garlic cloves
• 300 ml of beef stock
• 150 ml of red wine
• Fresh thyme

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and fry the bacon until it's crispy over a medium heat.
• Remove the bacon, then add the sausages, browning them all over. 
• Then remove the sausages and add the onion chunks. Turn up the heat so that the onions soften and caramelize.
• Add the sausages back to the dish, adding the thyme, garlic and lentils. Then cook for about a minute, while continuously stirring.
• Add the stock and the wine. Decrease the heat so that it's simmering slowly and cover the dish partially with the lid.
• Let it simmer for about 35 minutes, so that the lentils are soft and the sausages are cooked all the way through.
• Season it with salt and pepper, and add in the crispy bacon before serving with some fresh thyme.
• Put the pot in the middle of the table so that people may help themselves. This is nice served with salad, crispy baguette and cheese.