Oct. 4 - Stew, Please

I have been craving me some stew lately, probably because of the shift in weather, and I came across this recipe in Rachael Ray's EveryDay magazine.  It was in the section of "Easy to Freeze $10 Dinners."  Yes, please.  Of course, my photo of the finished stew cannot hold a candle to the photo in her magazine, but I digress.  The recipe is for "Sausage and Lentil Stew," and boy is it fabulous, filling, and perfect for fall.  It says it serves 4, but only if she's talking about 4 giants or something.  It probably makes more like 8 servings.  Oh, and can we talk briefly about this adorable pot?  I found this in a set of 3 (small saucepan, medium saucepan, and this large soup pot) with lids (thrifters, you will know how amazing that is!) at a thrift store in Michigan.  Come to find out this brand is virtually impossible to find (can't find a single one on Ebay, if that tells you anything) and is super high quality [read: expensive]. They're enamel over steel, weigh a TON, and cook beautifully.  Have I mentioned how much I love thrifting?  Anyway, here is the recipe for this lovely aforementioned stew:

2 T EVOO (I used coconut oil)
1 lb. sweet italian sausage, crumbled
1 onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 c.)
1 large carrot, chopped (about 1 c.) (I used 4 carrots to get this much)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
8 oz. brown lentils, rinsed
4 c. reduced sodium chicken broth
1 head escarole, coarsely chopped
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan cheese to garnish (optional, but delish)

1.  In a large dutch oven (I used a regular ol' soup pot), heat EVOO over med/high heat.  Add sausage and cook until browned; transfer to bowl using slotted spoon.
2.  Add onion and carrot to pot and cook until slightly softened (3-4 min.).  Stir in garlic and rosemary and cook 1 min.  Add lentils, broth, and 3 c. water.  Bring to boil, lower heat, and simmer until lentils are tender (25-30 min.).
3.  Stir in escarole and sausage, cover and cook until escarole is wilted and sausage is heated through (3-4 min.).  Season with salt and pepper.