I haven’t returned to my blog all week, actually, haven’t cooked anything this past week, having been stuck at work finishing a project, some long hours including weekends for a while. This particular week has been incredibly exhausting, stressful and full of anxiety, but there is a tiny little light at the end of the tunnel and it isn’t an incoming train. Today, I’ve spent most of my day cooking for the week and watching the Academy Awards. I decided to make one of my favorite things to eat, lentil soup, and If my tired brain remembers it well, lentils are probably the first thing I cooked that made me think about actually cooking and not just following a recipe (don’t ask me why). That was a few years ago, and since, I’ve made them in a number of different ways. Tonight I opted for making them in a very simple way, I actually cheated and added Kielbasa sausage, which happens to make anything it’s combined with taste perfectly delicious. Another little twist was to replace carrots in the mirepoix and use turnips instead for a different kind of sweetness, and with the proper amount of acidity in the San Marzano tomatoes and some extra white wine vinegar, well… deep and hearty yumminess.
Makes: 3-4 portions
Active Time: 45 mins
Gear:
Cutting Board
Knife
Dutch oven or a stock pot
Sauce pan to par-cook lentils.
One burner
Ingredients+MiseEnPlace:
1 cup of dried green lentils.
1 medium turnip:medium dice
1 medium onion: medium dice
2 celery stalks: medium dice
2 Kielbasa sausages: cut into 1/2″ rounds
1 big garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/2 can chopped San Marzano Tomatoes
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp coriander seeds powder
White wine vinegar to taste
Maldon Salt to taste
Method:
01: soak lentils in water for a an hour or simmer for 10 minutes and rinse.
02: add water, should be twice the height of the lentils, they will absorb it.
02: cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes, depends on the lentils.
03: reserve with its water.
Meanwhile:
01: heat up olive oil in pot, medium heat.
02: brown turnips, reserve.
03: brown sausage, reserve.
04: sweat onions and celery.
05: add tomatoes and cook until slightly caramelized.
06: return turnips and sausage into pot. Cook for a few more minutes.
07: add garlic and let cook for a minute.
08: add salt and vinegar and adjust until happy.
09: add coriander powder.
10: bring lentils into the pot and keep cooking until tender. ~5 min.
11: taste and adjust saltiness and acidity again.
A few things about lentils:
Cooking them partially by themselves in plain water will ensure that the skins don’t harden in the presence of salt or acids, we still want to finish the cooking process in the main stock, but towards the end.
Al dente lentils don’t release their awesome flavor, make sure they get pretty tender but not as much as baby food.. which really isn’t a bad thing either. I personally don’t mind that texture.
done!!!
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10 comments
Hope you get to cook more soon!!!
pretty soon! 🙂
I, too, love lentil soup and often use some sort of pork product as the protein. Your dish is right up my alley. I’d love to see a bowl of it before me.
thank you Chgojohn! I really appreciate your comment. I would eventually like to have a section on the blog just dedicated to soups. I really enjoy making those!
That’s a great idea! Do it and I’ll be there!
What gorgeous photos! I love this recipe; so heart and with many layers of flavors. The touch of Maldón sea salt sounds lovely, too!
*hearty, not heart. 🙂
I had to take a look at this post when you left the link over at Shanna’s blog. Not only is this something I wish I had made and could enjoy on this chilly afternoon, but lentil is one of those soups I’ll order if it’s on a menu and rarely make for myself. I’ll add this one to my list as I fear our “snowmageddon” here in the south east will just continue on and warm, comforting soups are exactly what we are craving these days! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
of course! you’re so welcome 🙂 I started cooking by making lentil soup to take to work for lunch. Never thought I’d be doing all this cooking and blogging about food after all this time hahahah