Lentil Soup

A hearty soup that can be vegetarian or not (as you see fit).

Makes

2 1/2 quarts

Hardware

• Large soup pot

Ingredients

			vegetable oil (I like safflower)
1 1/2 - 2			onions, chopped medium
2	stalks		celery, finely diced
1/2			carrot, finely diced
1	head		garlic, minced
			sage
			thyme
			salt
			black pepper
1	lb		lentils (green/brown), picked over for pebbles and rinsed
1			bay leaf
2	parts		vegetable stock
1	part		beer (optional, see note)
1	part		water
2	Tblsp		Liquid Smoke
			hot sauce (optional)

Procedure

1. Saute the onion over high heat until it starts to turn golden, then reduce the heat and gently cook the onions until they’re fully carmelized.


2. Add the celery, carrots, garlic, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper; turn up the heat and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.


3. Add the lentils and stir until the oil is absorbed (or, at least, until it coats all the lentils).


4. Add the bay leaf, stock, beer (if you’re using it), water, and Liquid Smoke. You want enough liquid to cover the lentils by about one inch.


5. Bring almost to a boil, reduce the heat, skim any scum that forms, then cook at a medium-to-slow simmer until the lentils are soft.


6. Remove the bay leaf, add hot sauce (if desired), taste, and adjust salt and pepper as needed.


7. Optional: Remove 1/5th to 1/4th the soup, puree, and return to the pot.

Notes

The carrots and celery should be roughly the size of a single lentil bean. This is the only reason I don’t rate this recipe "very easy."

If you don’t want to use vegetable stock, I suggest beef stock instead. If you use beef stock, you may want to leave out the Liquid Smoke.

The beer is optional, just be sure to keep the ratio of water to other liquids below 1:2 (I usually aim for 1:3).

The hot sauce is optional; this isn’t supposed to be a “spicy” dish but a little undercurrent of “zing” adds something nice.

Rating

Difficulty:		Easy.
Time:		Two hours.
Precision:		1.

Source

My own foolin’ around.