Lentil Soup

I know what you're thinking.  Another soup recipe?  Seriously?!   In my defense, I didn't mean to... Honestly.   This bag of lentils was meant for a "higher purpose" other than another batch of soup.  I had seen a recipe in one of the numerous food magazines that arrives at this address using lentils.  It looked so good.  It was all gloss and glamour, the kind of photo that belongs tucked inside of a black plastic wrapper.  You know the kind of photo I'm talking about.  It made lentils look sexy and that my friends is no easy task.

Well, that was my intention.  And then a cold front came through.  Goodbye sexy lentils and hello lentil soup.  So you see, it really isn't my fault at all that I'm posting yet another soup recipe.  Blame Mother Nature, she can take it.

The best part of this endeavor: the soup was so good, it was inhaled before I had a chance to take a decent shot for this post.  Slight oversight, my apologies. 
The actual best part of this is that you probably have a good portion of the ingredients already and thus a trip to the store may not even be necessary (hooray!!!). 
I, on the other hand, am still in pursuit of sexy lentils so off to the store I go.  Call me if you need anything.



Lentil Soup

1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed (do not soak)
2 stalks celery, small dice
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut in small dice
1 medium-large yellow onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 can diced tomato, with juice
5 oz baby spinach or baby kale
2 quarts vegetable (or chicken) stock
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a medium-large stock pot, heat oil until barely shimmering.  Add onion, celery and carrots.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until starting to soften, 5 - 10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Add tomatoes and their juice, cook 2 - 3 minutes then add stock, bay leaves, thyme and lentils.  Season again with salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust if necessary, adding more salt and/or pepper if needed.   Stir to combine, cover and simmer until lentils are beginning to soften, about 15 minutes.

Add baby spinach (or kale) and stir in to wilt.  Simmer an additional 10 - 15 minutes until vegetables and lentils are soft.

picture does NOT do soup justice...

 

 



Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Kitchen...

As soon as I walk into this space, I know if that were a real commandment, I'd be breaking it.  And breaking it hard.  Those of us who cook and are forced challenged to "get creative" with minuscule kitchens feel the sting every time we walk into someone elses's beautiful kitchen.  We look at their (audible gasp) cabinet space, counter space & WHAT?!  You have built in ovens AND a center island?!

OK, maybe that's just me...  I look at my tiny space & feel a tinge of frustration, but remind myself that plenty of people have it worse.  Although it doesn't usually make me feel much better when I'm balancing things on top of one another just to find a little extra space to set down a cutting board.

To further torture myself, I look at "dream kitchens" online.  Twisted, isn't it?
What?  That wound didn't sting enough?!  Let's sprinkle a little salt in there...  make mine Maldon please.
I seem to have gone off on a bit of a tangent, my apologies.

The point is, we work with what we have and sometimes what we have can be a bit trying.   So does that push those of us that have to "rise to the challenge" to be a bit more creative?  I'm sure it has nothing to do with it, but I'd like to think so... Now that I've had my little rant, off to the 3x5 space I'm relegated to. Thanks for listening.

I had no intention of doing back to back soup recipes, yet here we are. 
Chicken Noodle soup.  Not exactly ground-breaking, earth-shattering, cutting-edge haute cuisine, but something everyone should have in their arsenal.  When it's good,  it's really good and it possesses inexplicable magic.  A good bowl of chicken soup can make you feel so much better when you're under the weather.  It satisfies your soul and can warm you to the core on a bone-chilling day. 

There are more variations of this soup out there than one could ever imagine. 
Certainly there are faster versions than this, and when I don't have the time to let my stock simmer all day I put everything in the pot and go from there... but, that being said this is how I prefer to do it as it makes the most intensely "chicken-y" flavored broth.

For me, it is also one of those "base" soups that you can play with.  Once you nail down the basic procedure you can start swapping out ingredients, changing up seasonings, vegetables, etc.  Add a few stalks of lemongrass to perfume it with a wonderfully fragrant citrus flavor.  Add in Asian greens, some shiitakes, swap out egg noodles for small dumplings or udon noodles and you've just created a completely different soup. 

The broth (stock) of your soup is the key.  It needs time so don't rush it. If you give it time to develop there will be a major payoff when it's done.  Season it properly and let the flavors deepen and that soup will banish the memories of any bland, colorless sad excuse for chicken soup you've ever had.

Deep Golden Broth!

 

 

Chicken Noodle Soup



For the stock:
3 - 4 lbs chicken carcasses (necks & backs included, skin and excess fat removed)
12 cups water
1 onion, rough chop
3 carrots, rough chop
2 stalks celery, rough chop
1 bay leaf
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 clove garlic, peeled & smashed
1 small bunch thyme
1 small bunch parsley

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot and simmer uncovered for 4 - 6 hours.  Stock should not boil, it should be kept at a gentle simmer. Longer is better, you can simmer up to 8 hours if you have the time, but 6 hours will give you a rich, deep stock.

Skim the "scum" from the top every 15 - 20 minutes for the first couple of hours, then you will only need to do it a few more times for the remainder of the cooking time.   Skimming the stock will result in a cleaner flavor and clearer broth.  Add hot water to pot as needed to keep chicken and vegetables submerged.

Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer and discard solids.  If not using immediately, cool down and refrigerate.  After it has cooled completely, remove solidified fat from top and discard.


For the soup:
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 lbs chicken (If you are using boneless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces )
8 cups chicken stock
4 oz egg noodles
1 TB canola oil
salt & pepper

In a large stock pot, heat canola oil over medium heat.  Add onions and saute 2 -3 minutes.  Add chicken to pot and saute until lightly browned. Add carrots and celery and saute 2 -3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Add stock and simmer until chicken is cooked through. 

If you are using chicken on the bone, remove from soup and let it cool until you are able to handle it, then remove meat from bone and cut into bite size pieces.

Add egg noodles and cook according to package directions, usually 6 - 8 minutes.  Serve & eat!

 

*For those of you who are thinking "Is this girl nuts?!"  Before you come after me like a mob of angry villagers, here's a quickie version:



Heat canola oil in stock pot and saute onions until they just begin to turn golden brown.  Add chicken pieces and saute until it is nicely browned.

Add 8 cups water and bay leaf.  Let it simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, skimming the surface as needed.  Remove chicken pieces and let them cool until you are able to handle them.

Add celery and carrots to broth.  While they are simmering,  take the meat off the bones and cut into bite sized pieces.  Add the chicken meat back into the soup and add noodles.  Cook another 6 - 8 minutes until noodles are done.

A Big Bowl of Sunshine

Don't you just love it when you throw a bunch of stuff together in a big pot and it turns out to be one of the most delicious things you've had in a long while?

That is exactly what happened with this soup.  I needed to make supper and wasn't really up for a trip to the store.  I rummaged around in the cabinets and fridge to see what I could assemble and that is how this came together.   I had a few bits of this, a piece of that, a couple of these, etc.

When I set everything out on the counter, it seemed like a good idea in theory, but we all know how sometimes these things tend to turn out... you know, good intentions & all. 

Luckily, this once actually turned out to be pretty awesome. Out of a bit of laziness frugality a great soup was born! This soup was devoured like it was going to be my last meal on Earth.  It is hearty and warming, exactly the kind of thing you want in front of you on a cold day.  Grab a loaf of crusty bread, tear off a chunk and tuck in.


Bowl of Sunshine Soup

1 lg sweet onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 rutabaga, peeled & diced
1 lg sweet potato, peeled & diced
4 medium carrots, peeled & thinly sliced
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 cup Israeli cous cous
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp turmeric
purple basil for garnish
3 tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large pot, sweat onion in olive oil over medium low heat.  Let it cook out slowly for about 15 - 20 minutes until it just begins to turn light golden brown.  Add garlic and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Add carrot and sweet potato, cook for a few minutes then add stock and turmeric.  When carrots have started to soften slightly, add rutabaga.   Simmer for approximately 20 minutes, then add chickpeas and cous cous.

Cook for an additional 6 - 8 minutes or until cous cous is soft and chewy.   Sprinkle with fresh herbs for garnish.