Jenny's Lentil Soup ~ A Mediterranean Recipe

My neighbor Jenny grew up playing in the ruins of the Parthenon in Greece, she claimed her initials were etched into one of the stony pillars.  She would pick chamomile along the roads where it grew wild.   Cooking was her passion and she shared many wonderful dishes with me.  Jenny passed away in 2010 but her memory lives on in all the wonderful dishes she taught me to make.  This is one of her simple soup recipes. It is wonderful on a cold winter day. 

Jenny’s Lentil Soup 

(serves 8 people)

1 lb lentils (2 ¼ cups)

1 ½ quart water and 1 quart broth of your choice (I use veggie or chicken broth)

3 cloves garlic chopped

½ cup olive oil (can adjust to your taste)

2-3 bay leafs

salt/pepper

2 TBSP wine vinegar

1 TBSP catsup (organic)

1 cup chopped tomatoes (can do organic canned)
1 med. sweet or yellow onion (chopped), can also use leeks if you prefer.

Follow prep directions for lentils on package beforehand.   Some read soak overnight, some don’t.*  Next day, sauté onions, garlic and lentils in half the oil in large stock pot.  Add the water/broth and the bay leaves and boil 1 hour.  Then add the tomatoes and rest of oil per your taste.  Do not add salt/pepper until end as salt toughens the beans and   there are some theories on pepper that say it should not be heated as it will cause irritation to digestive tract.  At the end, after taking soup off the heat, add the red wine vinegar and catsup and stir.  Remove bay leafs.

You can take ½ of soup and puree or use a hand blender to create the texture you desire.  It will be very watery if you do not puree it some. 

SERVE WITH...a thick tear of home baked bread, (or grab your favorite from your local bakery), a slice of feta cheese and a swirl of olive oil over the bowl of soup.  Delicious!

Variations:  As you heat up smaller amounts in the ensuring days try adding a little curry, a dollop of pesto or yogurt on top, spice up with chili powder or add other precooked veggies (will change the taste).

*If you have issues with gas from eating beans, after rinsing and sorting lentils if you opt to pass on the overnight soak, simply cover with water (good amount) bring to a boil and rinse.  Then proceed with cooking per recipe.