Toulouse sausage with lentils (Saucisse de Toulouse aux lentilles)

1. Pick over and rinse the green lentils; brown the sausage all over in a hot pan, then set aside.

2. In the remaining fat, fry the chopped bacon, the diced onion and carrot.

3. Add the crushed garlic, the bay leaf and the thyme and fry together for a few minutes.

4. Pour in the lentils, add the meat stock, cover and cook for about 25-30 minutes until the lentils are tender but not falling apart.

5. Return the sausage to the lentils and braise together under a lid for a further 10 minutes.

6. Season with salt and pepper, scatter with chopped parsley and serve the sausage sliced over the lentils.

Tip: A hearty bistro dish from the Toulouse region – the spiced pork sausage and the earthy green lentils make a perfect pair. Do not salt the lentils at the start of cooking, or they toughen. A little Dijon mustard makes it complete.