Basic Lentil Vegetable Soup

I make lentil soup about once a week. Everybody likes it (well, my kids are a gamble - some days they do, some days they don't) and it's good to make a large pot at the beginning of the weekend, to fuel lunches and suppers for the next two days. The following lentil soup, using green or brown lentils, can be varied in lots of ways to suit the contents of your vegetable bin.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
One onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 or 2 carrots, chopped
Chopped garlic - 1, 2 or 3 cloves - your choice
Two small or one large potato, diced
1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed*
One 14 oz. can tomatoes (chopped or not, basil or not)
Bay leaf
6 cups water
Herbs - your choice
(Lemon juice or vinegar) (optional)
(spinach or other greens) (optional)
(Parmesan or other cheese for sprinkling) (optional)
(sausage or ham) (optional)

Sautee onion in at least one tablespoon olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot (or pressure cooker) until onion softens and turns translucent. Add celery, garlic, carrots; sautee another two minutes or so. Add potato, lentils, tomatoes, bay leaf, water, and a fatpinch of dried thyme; you may also add basil and/or oregano. Cover the pot (if doing this in a pressure cooker, this is when you lock it down)

Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender. (Pressure cooker - cook for 10 minutes, cool down naturally without forcing it open) Then add salt to taste (you'll need plenty) and pepper. Stir and serve sprinkled with cheese. You may also add another drizzle of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil at the table. Lemon is another optional addition.

Optional ingredients - shorten cooking time by 2-3 minutes. Add spinach, let cook with lid off until greens wilt.

Fully cooked sausage or bits of cooked, chopped ham deepen the flavors, and may be added during the last ten minutes of cooking.

The lemon juice - at least half a lemon - adds tang and brings out the flavors, especially with the spinach variation. Red wine or balsamic vinegar is another tangy addition. These are not so good with ham.

This recipe is endlessly elastic; whatever veggies you have around usually work; of course short cooking veg should go towards the end (i.e. zucchini). Today we had dinosaur kale lying around that really needed to be used up. I put it in at the beginning of the cooking time.

If you have a leftover ham bone or lamb bone with bits of meat on it, add with the uncooked lentils. Without the meat (or cheese) this recipe is suitable for vegans.

If you want a Greek version of this, with rice, see here. My kids love this recipe.

Comments

[D. Mathews]

Looks good enough to steal! O.K.,... I'll give you one in return (that I stole from somewhere else!)

Masoor Dhal Curry Soup

masoor dhal (6 oz.)
2 1/2 pints of water
1/2 tsp. gnd. turmeric
2 jalapenos (seeded & finely chopped)
1 onion chopped
few cilantro leaves
salt

For the final "fry":
4 Tblsp. veg. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
several cloves of garlic crushed
6 curry leaves (a must!!)
2 whole dry red chillies

Procedure:
After washing the masoor dhal, put in a large heavy pot with the water, chopped green chillies, turmeric, onion and cilantro and bring it all to a boil (the aroma will put you on cloud # 9). Then allow to simmer covered for about 30 minutes. Drain the water from the pan and mash the lentil mixture against the side of the pot with a slotted spoon until smooth. Heat the remaining water and return to the pot with the mashed lentils. Add salt. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer.

While masoor dhal soup is simmering heat oil in a small frying pan (medium high) and add the other "final fry" ingredients. Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle, hold the lid of the masoor pot in one hand and with the other pour the tempered oil along with the seasoning ingredients over the soup. Replace top on pot immediately to retain the aroma. After five minutes, mix well and you will have a wonderful masoor dhal soup for those cold winter days.

I love to pour it over white rice!

[Leila]

Thanks, D. Mathews. I don't get these comments to my email so I only just found your recipe. Looks terrific.

[Elka]

I just made this Monday night with leftover lentils and ham from dinner (thanks for the ham hints on Randa's blog!). I'd cooked the leftover lentils in red wine and I think it gave the soup a really nice flavor. Super yummy!

[D. Mathews]

Leila,
Received your comment on my blog just as I had just finished making and savoring another lentil dish: Sambhar. The defining ingredient is tamarind and it can be made with any number of a combination of vegetables. I have settled for beets, carrots and okra (it also has red "Spanish" peppers and tomatos). There are thousands of ways to make this popular southern indian dish but I haven't the time to write out my version. Here is a reference, though: http://www.indian-cooking-recipe.com/sambar-recipe.html

Happy New Year!

[BuySalvia]

How are you all on this fine, fine day?
I'm doing quite well, and wanted to share the love.

[music]

very interesting.
i'm adding in RSS Reader

[Acomplia]

Thanks for sharing!