Lentil Soup with Carrot Raisin Salad

Lentil Soup with Carrot Salad

Ok, I'm officially pouting. I don't want to face the reality of real life, making appointments, getting things in order, cleaning up my poor dried-out yard, going to the doctor and so on. I don't want to be a participant of life, I want to be an observer. I want to sit in a little French cafe watching people. I want to drink an Anis with lots of ice in the cafe Les Deux Magots in Paris where Hemingway and Jean Paul Sartre had their drinks, I want to admire all the beautiful decorated shop windows and walk until I find another cafe or museum.

I will post about my trip to France, later but for reality's sake, I need to make something that will bring me back to earth like good old fashioned lentil soup. I have made this lentil soup many times. It's an old friend of mine. I got some sausages, carrots, potatoes, and fresh herbs  at the farmers' market and will use them for my soup. This recipe is not written in stone, so you can add different ingredients. I have sautéed pancetta with the veggies and that was delicious. It is very easy to make a vegetarian or even vegan version of this soup by omitting the meat and  Parmesan cheese rind, using vegetable broth instead of chicken. You can also add baby spinach with the basil at the end to up the health factor. Puréeing part of the soup gives it a creamy texture. I use an immersion blender, but a blender or food processor will do the same thing. As you see, there are many variations on the theme. Have fun and enjoy this wonderful filling  and healthy soup.   ​

For a little salad, I grated a couple of carrots, added some lemon juice and raisins. It is a great addition to the soup. ​

I buttered my bread and added thinly sliced radishes sprinkled with coarse sea salt.

The Parmesan cheese rind adds a rich flavor to the soup. I freeze all my leftover Parmesan rinds. This time I used a 2" by 1" inch piece. An alternative is to sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese before you serve the soup. Only blend about 2 cups of the soup, just enough to give it a creamy texture. This soup makes great leftovers. ​​

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

Makes 3 to 4 servings 

1 Tbs. olive oil 
1 ¼ cup red onion, chopped 
1  cup celery, chopped 
1  cup carrots, chopped 
1  cup potatoes, chopped and peeled 
1  tsp. fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin 
1 cup fresh or canned chopped tomatoes 
1 cup French green lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 small piece Parmesan cheese rind 
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2-3 cooked or smoked  sausages 
1 tsp garlic salt
½ cup chopped basil
1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar 
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the olive oil and sauté the vegetables for about 8 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Add cumin and sauté for about 30 seconds to release the flavors.

Add the broth, the water, the bay leaf, the lentils and the piece of Parmesan rind, bringing it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 40 minutes or until lentils are tender. Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and Parmesan rind.
With an immersion blender, blend part of the soup until creamy, but leave half or more of the vegetables whole. If you don't have an immersion blender, blend 2 cups of the soup in a blender or food processor.

Cut the sausages into bite-sized pieces and sauté until slightly browned.  Add to the soup.


Add the vinegar, sausages, basil and season with salt and pepper.

Guten Appetit
 Recipe by © Sunnycovechef