This is a bowl of Winter Lentil Soup, courtesy of Real Simple.
I heard about this recipe from my friend Kelly. She made it a week ago and for some reason that totally escapes me, I wanted to try it. I have never had kale, I have never (to the best of my knowledge) had leeks and I am generally not very thrilled about lentils.
My Mom used to make Lentil soup when I was growing up. It was OK, but nothing to write home about.
I went to the store and tried to find kale. I had no idea where to begin, so I went to the Produce Manager. He looks at me and goes, "Gee, I never heard of that." ACK! I thought. Then he shows me that it was there on his cart and to take whatever I wanted. So I went forth with kale and totally forgot about leeks. The next store I was in was Walmart and they had a grocery section and I picked up the leeks there. They were HUGE things and I was worried that I would have leeks from now to the end of the world. It ended up that once you cut off the top thing, it is not so big a deal and I was actually 1 leek short for the recipe. That was just fine by me, by the way. I figured a little less the first time around was just right...and it was.
I forgot a can of tomatoes too, but thank goodness I always have puree and so I used that with some cherry tomatoes for fiber.
I added mushrooms because I had some and I put some already roasted and sliced (and frozen) pork loin into it to add a little meat and make it a full meal. That my friends, was really the best thing.
Otherwise, I totally followed the instructions on the recipe and in one hour I had delicious soup. The sweet potato added just that little bit of sweetness and it tended to make the soup thicken up a bit.
It is worth the effort to make, but I have a feeling escarole would be better as a green for me. Kale doesn't wilt much. Just saying...
Make it and you will probably not regret it. :-)
Sorry but I do love Lentil soup. I always have & always will. Opening a can of lentil soup always does it for me. Sorry Angel :-)
ReplyDeleteMe too... I like lentil soup. This recipe sounds quite different from any I've ever had (not that I've had a lot). Mostly when I have it it's Progresso which is very heavy on the lentils and not really anything else. There's very tiny occasional bits of something leafy green in there which could be spinach. Yep, it's spinach... I just checked the can. Also lists celery, but I can't say I've ever never noticed any. I'm not necessarily observant when it comes to food, I guess.
ReplyDeleteyes the soup I use is the Progresso soup. A far as making any kind of food, I just can't, oh well..... :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's it, next time spinach!
ReplyDeleteDim Skip, are you having any problems with flooding in NJ?
ReplyDeleteNo, no flooding. That's way up in North Jersey where they got 4" or so compared to our 2-2.5" last week. Plus it's much hillier, even mountainous, so that accentuats the runoff from any lingering snow melt.
ReplyDeleteBut thanks for asking. I'm in a flood-free area, not close enough to any rivers or creeks. Any water issues will only come directly out of the sky and such storms are rare.
The Progresso has only trace amounts of spinach. It's more for visuals than a taste issue. I used to sometimes chopped up onions or add seasoning to canned soups, but lately I just do'em straight. Lazy, I guess.
We also added a little Dave's Insanity Sauce to the soup. Gave it a nice little kick!
ReplyDeleteKelly, yeah, I go with that! :-)
ReplyDeleteDim Skip: I KNOW where you live, but you just never really know...ya know?
Glad you and your house are fine.
OMG. You've never had kale before??? You've really been missing out. I love kale. I eat it cooked by itself, raw in salads (lacinato, a.k.a. dinosaur, kale works best for that), dump it in soups and stews even when the recipe doesn't call for it. It's just a bonus that it's so incredibly nutritious. I particularly like the curly purple stuff -- adds color!
ReplyDeleteI love lentil soup (and all things lentil), too; my Spousal Unit despises lentils, and I haven't yet figured out a way to hide them in stuff, so I haven't had them in ages.
Piglet: Hmmmm...they seem easy enough to blend and disappear...just don't tell the hubby. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd I know you know, of course, but you're right about never really knowing. Mostly I was clarifying for anyone else reading who doesn't know, you know...
ReplyDeleteOr, to use the quote my old auto mechanic once said to me (and I never forgot this pearl of wisdom):
"You know, you never know, you know."