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Judges hated to love this Creole lentil dish

From Staff Reports

Need some inspiration for creating a recipe for the National Lentil Festival’s lentil recipe contest?

Here’s last year’s winner from the “I Hate Lentils” category, Lentil and Sausage Etouffee from Judy Armstrong, of Prairieville, Calif.

This summer will be the 25th anniversary of the National Lentil Festival. It will be held Aug. 16 and 17 in Pullman.

The deadline for submissions to the Legendary Lentil Cook-off is June 17. Recipes must contain ½ cup dry lentils or 1 cup cooked lentils and no more than 15 ingredients. The top recipes are chosen by food experts and prepared for the festival. The 2013 lentil festival cook-off recipe booklet will be produced for sale online and at the festival.

There is more information at www.lentilfest.com.

Lentil and Sausage Etouffee

From Judy Armstrong, Prairieville, Calif.

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup flour

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups dried lentils

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with chilies

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

4 cups cooked white rice, prepared according to package directions

1/2 cup chopped parsley, plus extra sprigs for garnish

8 green onions, thinly sliced

In a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.

Add the flour and stir continuously until it begins to darken and become a medium brown color. Add the onion, pepper, celery, garlic and sausage; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, diced tomatoes and Creole seasoning. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Prepare the rice according to package directions.

Uncover the Dutch oven and add the chopped parsley and green onions.

Ladle the Lentil and Sausage Etouffee into eight bowls and top each with ½ cup cooked rice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh parsley.

Yield: 8 servings