Winter Arrives

Is it possible to have too many soup posts?  I don't think so! Especially on days that look like this.  It was a week where I needed the comfort of my kitchen.  And on this Tuesday, I took the weather to mean we needed soup and cornbread.  So, I randomly pulled one of my many cookbooks off the shelf and chose a lentil soup recipe.

On this day I chose The New Best Recipe cookbook from the editors of Cook's Illustrated.  They aren't kidding, I haven't had a bad recipe yet out of this book, and the Hearty Lentil Soup didn't disappoint.   The recipes often have a couple more steps, but there is usually a reason and it's fully explained.  I was able to quit work at 5PM and have this soup ready for dinner before 6:30 PM, and it tasted like it had been simmering for hours. 

I also made the Golden Northern Cornbread out of the same cookbook in that time frame, but here I will just share the lentil soup recipe.

Hearty Lentil Soup
3 sliced bacon ( I used some ham I had)
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped medium
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained ( I used my own ripe tomatoes on the counter and cheated by adding 1/2 slow roasted tomatoes.)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 teaspoon salt
   ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth ( I used the fresh chicken broth I'd just made from Sunday's roast chicken!)
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Fry the bacon in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 3-4 minutes.  Add the onion and carrots; cook stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant , about 30 seconds.  Stir in the lentils, salt, and pepper to taste; cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the vegetables are softened and the lentils have darkened, 8-10 minutes.

Uncover, increase the heat to high, add the wine, and bring to a simmer.  Add the chicken broth and the water; bring to a boil, cover partially, and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 30-35 minutes; discard the bay leaf.

Puree 3 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth, then return to the pot.  Stir in the vinegar and heat the soup over medium-low until hot, about 5 minutes.  Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and serve, garnishing each bowl with some of the remaining parsley.

I wish you a warm quiet kitchen when it's most needed and I hope it comforts you, as it does me.