On any given day I can pratter on endlessly about certain foods: gelato that makes my taste buds pirouette in anticipation, stinky cheeses that stop just short of making me wince or plump, sweet blackberries just plucked from creek fed beds on a hot day.
Today? It’s lentils.
Lentils you say?? Aren’t those a bit uhm….boring in comparison? Allow me to backpedal a bit. I like beans and we eat them fairly frequently in our house in soups, dips and stews. Most of the time, I use the canned varieties for the sake of speed in pulling a meal together. However, I do find that beans cooked from the dried (or fresh) state tend to have better flavor and texture than the canned ones. However, dried beans need to be soaked for a time before using and even the quick soak method can be longer than I want to wait when I’m making dinner on a busy weeknight. (Though if you do happen to have the time check out the dry bean cooking tips over at Kitchen Therapy).
The lentil has something great going for it that beans don’t: they are the Speedy Petes of the legume world. From a nutrition standpoint, much like beans, lentils have a lot going for them. They’re loaded with folic acid and fiber (trust me, your heart LOVES that!)
There are several varieties of lentils, some of which are pictured above (red, French Green and brown). Like beans, lentils themselves have have a very mild flavor. The magic happens when they are cooked with other ingredients, they take on the flavors of the rest of the dish. Since they are small and lens shaped, they also contribute welcome texture to many dishes and in true speedy fashion, there is no soaking required. Just add them during the cooking process as you would pasta and cook until tender. Before using lentils, spread them out on a white dish towel or plate and remove any non-lentil interlopers such as tiny stones or other grains.
During the winter months, I like to keep my freezer stocked with hearty soups and stews to help get dinner on the table quickly during the week. This Lentil Soup is generally camping out somewhere near my Ben and Jerry’s stash. I like to serve this as a dinner entree with fresh fruit or salad and a really good loaf of bread with garlic spiked butter.
Lentil Soup
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, trimmed, peeled and sliced
2 ribs celery, trimmed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup dry lentils (any kind will work)
4 cups low sodium beef or vegetable stock
1 smoked ham hock (optional)
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions, carrots, celery, garlic and thyme. Cover pot. Stir occasionally and if vegetables begin to turn brown, stir and reduce heat to medium-low.
2. When vegetables are tender, add tomatoes, stock, lentils and ham hock (if using)
3. Stir soup and turn heat up to high until soup is boiling, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30-40 minutes.
4. Remove soup from heat and extract the ham hock if using. Cut as much meat from the ham hock as possible, cut into bite sized pieces and add back to the soup.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in Balsamic vinegar.
Makes about 8 cups. Freezes well (use within 3 months).
