DARK GREEN LENTIL SUPER SOUP: Vegetarian, carnivore opt

 This dark green lentil soup, a 5-star wonder with loads of flavour and texture, is a winner on a cold, dark October evening...

The best lentil soup 67goingon50 has ever had; superb flavour & texture

first posted Nov 2015

Green Lentil Super Soup served in a big tureen makes a wonderful party dish. Trust me - vegetarian or carnivore -  they'll love it. 

It's designed to feed plant and meat eaters with an intensely flavoured vegan base.  But to make life really easy, there's none of the usual divvying up of the base into two separate soups.  The meat option is served separately, on the side, almost as a garnish.  

It's a Cook Clever dish; even half a recipe gives plenty of leftovers which can be frozen. 

Adapted from the incomparable Ina Garten*, the soup's ingredients are beautifully balanced.  It does need reconstituted dried green lentils; red ones won't work as well and tinned won't have half the flavour.

The soup is heavy on chopped vegetables but they give the soup its distinctive character.  A good sharp knife will make short work of the onions; the coarse blade of a food processor will also do a good job.  

For vegetarians, a sprinkling of parmesan or rice crackers or wholemeal bread ensures a good balance of amino acids.  Or add a good vegetarian frankfurter like Tivali.   

For meat eaters, spicy Polish sausage like kielbasa, or shards of ham hock, or sliced chicken frankfurters, will take it to higher level. 

Cost: £4.50 + garnishes
Serves: a large crowd; for family, halve the recipe or make the lot and freeze half for a busier time

Ingred:
      
    450gm/16oz green lentils  
    
    3 lge yellow onions (about 600 gm/21 oz small dice
    2 lge leeks, whites only (600 gm/21 oz) small dice
    3 cloves garlic, grated
    1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme
    1 tsp cumin
    min 1 tsp  - max 1 tbsp salt
    1 1/2 tsp pepper
    
    8 stalks celery (10 1/2 oz/300 g) peeled and in small dice
    4-6 med carrots, scrubbed and in small dice
    5.3 pints/3 litres good stock (home-made if poss, chicken for pref)
    min 1 - max 2 oz/ min 30 - max 60 ml tomato puree
    2 tbsp red wine/ red wine vinegar/grape juice

Method:

1. Cover lentils with boiling water, leave for 25 mins. Drain and rinse
2. Leeks: slice the white part down the middle, making two vertical halves; cut each in half horizontally; lay flat sides down on a chopping board and cut into four strips, then into small dice.  Rinse thoroughly.  
3. In a large heavy bottomed pan, saute onions, leeks, garlic, thyme, cumin, salt & pepper in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, over medium heat. Cook 20 mins or until very tender, stirring occasionally to prevent catching.
4. Add lentils, celery, carrots, stock, tomato puree, red wine/red wine vinegar/grape juice and stock
5. Cover & bring to the boil; bubble hard for 5 mins; reduce heat to med low; uncover; simmer at a soft bubble one hour or until lentils cooked through.  
6. Serve with cheese or meat options on the side

Tips:

• The soup can be served over white rice, or with a handful of washed rice added to the mix in step 3 
• Vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, either cooked in or added to the soup, will ring the changes 

*Ina Garten:Freeview 43 & Food Network

                   

   

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This recipe has been adapted by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.