Lentil Soup

Yesterday I decided to do some cooking to break up the monotony of relaxation. I made a vat of spaghetti sauce and a bucket of lentil soup. Good, yummy things to have on hand for the cold weeks ahead.

Except all the food I made won't fit in the freezer now and I ran out of containers to freeze smaller portions in. I am contemplating pilfering some containers when I go over to my dad and stepmom's later this morning. They think I'm going over there to help them with some computer stuff but actually I'm only going there to play with their new Wii.

Anyway, here's the recipe I use for lentil soup. I love recipes that are versatile like this one. Switch out a few ingredients or omit them altogether to tailor to your liking. (Or if you're like me, you probably don't have one (or more) of the ingredients on hand so versatility is helpful in our kitchen.) It makes a lot but can easily be halved.

2 large carrots, chopped fine
3 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1lb green lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 15 oz can tomato paste
14 cups water
Bay leaves
Thyme
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
Olive oil*

1. Pop Wall-E into the DVD player for the kids.


2. Saute the the carrots, celery and onion in some olive oil. Add the garlic last so it doesn't burn. Once the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent, add the water, lentils and tomato paste. Stir well to combine.


3. Distribute snacks to the kids. sweep up cookie crumbs in living room.


4. Add the bay leaves, salt and pepper and thyme (you could use any herb combination you like; Italian seasonings work well, too).


5. Make drinks for kids, take one to the potty and wipe runny noses. Wash hands well with hot soapy water.


6. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes to an hour, or until lentils are soft and soup is thickened.


7. Explain to the kids that they don't have to eat the soup if they don't want to for the fifth time.


8. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.


9. Sweep up the snack crumbs in the living room and wipe up any juice that may have spilled.
   

You can serve with a loaf of good, crusty bread and a shaving of parmesan cheese or a drizzle of olive oil. Maybe a small dollop of goat cheese if you like it. Possibilities are endless.

Depending on your household, you may be able to skip steps 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 and take pictures of the entire process for good blogging.

*Almost any kind of grease will do. Yesterday I fried my veggies up in some bacon fat leftover from Saturday morning's breakfast, which gave it a nice depth of flavor.