Last week, something possessed me to whip up some food that required more than unwrapping and heating. {move over, Martha Stewart}
I liked the looks of this recipe because there weren't a million ingredients, and most of the vegetables I had already gotten from the farmer's market.
Of course, I didn't follow the directions to the letter.. No leeks? No problem! I used swiss chard, and it was perf {as in, perfect}.
Definitely though, do not forget the vinegar and parmesan cheese {and be generous with the cheese}. Those 2 ingredients made the soup special. {I did forget those 2 initially, and they really do make a difference}.
The soup lasted us all week, and it was so nice to have something sitting in the fridge that could be heated up for an easy meal.
The only issue I had with the recipe was all of the vegetable chopping.... There seemed to be a lot of it! But maybe this is the norm for actual cooking. At least though, I know that I will not try to start making this soup at 9:30 pm on a Monday night again..... Because the prep time + cooking time will take around 2 hours....
{Recipe is below and also HERE }
{This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe}
Ingredients
1 pound French green lentils
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
1 pound French green lentils
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
** I omitted the leeks, and added a few cups of chopped swiss chard
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.
In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks {I skipped the leeks}, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes {this is where I added swiss chard}. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.{and I bet cilantro would be really good too!!}
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.
In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks {I skipped the leeks}, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes {this is where I added swiss chard}. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.{and I bet cilantro would be really good too!!}
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