RECIPE: Simple Soup Rec: French Lentil Soup from Barefoot Contessa

RECIPE:
B

barbara-in-va

Well-known member
I made a 1/2 recipe of this soup on Sunday and just can't get enough of it. It is so simple and so incredibly delicious. By far the best lentil soup I have ever made.

The only thing I did differently is that I have trouble with my lentil cooking to a mush. So I didn't add the lentils until the last 30 minutes of cooking time--they were perfect!

I also had a bit of the Salsa Parmegiano left over from a party and added a small dollop at serving time (instead of the drizzle of OO and sprinkling of parmesan called for in the recipe.)

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/french-lentil-and-vegetable-soup

 
REC: Cheddar Dill Scones

Also from the Barefoot Contessa. They were also faburlous alongside the soup above. Bar far best right out of the oven. I even tucked a couple of Deb-in-MI roasted tomatoes inside one and ate it like a sandwich. Being the carb-o-holic that I am I ate two of these giant scones as soon as they came out of the oven. Then had to get out of the kitchen before I ate the rest--boy am I cursed.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_119789,00.html

 
More Lentils. Muligatawny fast and rich.

This is so easy and so good. I usually double this because everyone eats more than I expect.

1 cup red lentils rinsed
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (you can use 3 cans of fat free broth if you don't have frozen)
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 onion
3tbsp. olive oil
3 Tsp good curry or to your taste
1 Tsp. tumeric
4 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 roma tomatoes
1 Tbsp. ginger grated
2 bay leaves
1/2 lemon squeezed
1 tsp cumin or to taste (i have heard that it is best to add this towards the end of cooking for better flavor. I am unsure if it makes alot of difference.)
yogurt and cilantro to garnish

Saute onion and garlic in oil, add lentils, tomatoe paste and tomatoes and broth. Add spices and cook about 45 mins until tender, adding more broth or water if needed. I squeeze the lemon before serving and serve with cilantro and good yogurt on top.
I have tweeked this for several years. Bob's Red Mill gave me an honorable mention for this recipe one year. Got more lentils and beans than you could shake a stick at.

 
Sounds great. Congratulations on the HM! Would this work with brown or green lentils?

 
Tip to keep lentils from turning to mush....

I swear that the article said something about the sweating of lentils with the salt but the recipe I use is from Cooks Illustrated and I never have that problem whether I am making soup or just cooking them because I always sweat them with some salt now like in this soup.

Here are the directions (I'm not a pureed soup fan so I skip Step 2)

1. Fry bacon in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in lentils, salt, and pepper to taste; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until vegetables are softened and lentils have darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, add wine, and bring to simmer. Add chicken broth and water; bring to boil, cover partially, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 30 to 35 minutes; discard bay leaf.
2. Puree 3 cups soup in blender until smooth, then return to pot; stir in vinegar and heat soup over medium-low until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and serve, garnishing each bowl with some of remaining parsley.

 
This is basically my lentil soup--with those tiny french green lentils. Usually I add a handful of

any kind of greens at the end; spinach, collards, kale, swiss chard or even the outer leaves of romaine, chopped. I make large pots and freeze in small containers. Vary the seasonings also--ham bone, etc.

 
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