Blissfully Oblivious Lentil Soup
Dec. 7th, 2003 06:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ambitious_wenchNote: The following recipe no doubt is as universally offensive as my Universally Offensive Split Pea Soup was yesterday. However, this soup is blissfully unaware of the offensiveness of its existence. It simply exists to delight the senses, feed the body, and tantalize the tastebuds.
You'll need a one pound bag of lentils
carrots
onions
potatoes
a package of frozen chopped spinach
cumin
rosemary
thyme
bay leaves
celery seed
ground chili pepper
olive oil
hot pepper oil
salt
ground black pepper
sherry wine
Rinse off the lentils with cold water until the water runs clear. These little buggers cook fast, so we have to be careful to use cold water, or they will start to cook in hot.
Chop up two onions in small cubes, and saute them in some olive oil in a heavy skillet. Try holding a piece of bread between your teeth and breathing through it to keep from crying. Take your time with those onions--they should be almost caramelized. Have you ever watched onions cooking? They start smelling good at about the time they start becoming transparent. I suppose that's when the essential oils are released. I do know that you should always brown onions for soups and stews though.
While the onions are cooking, cuts some carrots into medallions. Again, take a look at them--I had a kindergarden teacher who used to bring us carrots for a snack, but she made us stop and look at them. They have a really pretty sunburst pattern inside them. And did you know that beets have concentric rings in them? Check it out some time. Once cut, put them in the pot with the lentils--there should be no water in there yet.
Now, potatoes. About the only suggestion I have is don't use Idaho baking potatoes--they are too likely to fall apart. They aren't dense enough to hold their shape in hot water. Once again, I used small white Maine potatoes. Potatoes are native to central and south America, if I recall. I think I remember reading in National Geographic that they were grown originally to make alcohol, not for eating. So many things were! Blue potatoes are very cool. They're more dark purple than blue, though. Dice them finely, about 1/2 inch squares.
An alternate is if lentils give you gas, peel two or three potatoes and cook them with the lentils, and then discard the potatoes. Supposedly the potatoes absorb whatever it is that causes gas. I can't vouch for this, but I read it in Organic Gardening several years ago.
Now add about 3 quarts of water to the pot. This is a fast soup, not really meant to simmer for hours. It's best to serve it as soon as the carrots are tender. Also, the lentils tend to absorb water, and you may have to add more. Add the frozen spinach as one lump--it will melt on its own.
Now for the seasonings. All of these are pretty much optional, but the two I would advise especial care with are cumin and celery seed. These are both very powerful flavors, and may run roughshod over the others. Add slowly to taste. I recommend grinding dried rosemary in a mortar and pestle. It releases the fragrance of the herb, sort of pine-y and lavender at the same time. Add the whole bay leaves, and be sure to remove them from the bowl before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste as well. Oh, and only a few flakes of chili pepper. Just enough to make the soup warming.
Now, the hot pepper oil and sherry--add those last, letting each person decide for themselves if they want to float a bit on the surface of the soup.
Now, what would you change? Anything here you can't stand? Is anything missing? What would you do to make it better?
Enjoy.
Edie
You'll need a one pound bag of lentils
carrots
onions
potatoes
a package of frozen chopped spinach
cumin
rosemary
thyme
bay leaves
celery seed
ground chili pepper
olive oil
hot pepper oil
salt
ground black pepper
sherry wine
Rinse off the lentils with cold water until the water runs clear. These little buggers cook fast, so we have to be careful to use cold water, or they will start to cook in hot.
Chop up two onions in small cubes, and saute them in some olive oil in a heavy skillet. Try holding a piece of bread between your teeth and breathing through it to keep from crying. Take your time with those onions--they should be almost caramelized. Have you ever watched onions cooking? They start smelling good at about the time they start becoming transparent. I suppose that's when the essential oils are released. I do know that you should always brown onions for soups and stews though.
While the onions are cooking, cuts some carrots into medallions. Again, take a look at them--I had a kindergarden teacher who used to bring us carrots for a snack, but she made us stop and look at them. They have a really pretty sunburst pattern inside them. And did you know that beets have concentric rings in them? Check it out some time. Once cut, put them in the pot with the lentils--there should be no water in there yet.
Now, potatoes. About the only suggestion I have is don't use Idaho baking potatoes--they are too likely to fall apart. They aren't dense enough to hold their shape in hot water. Once again, I used small white Maine potatoes. Potatoes are native to central and south America, if I recall. I think I remember reading in National Geographic that they were grown originally to make alcohol, not for eating. So many things were! Blue potatoes are very cool. They're more dark purple than blue, though. Dice them finely, about 1/2 inch squares.
An alternate is if lentils give you gas, peel two or three potatoes and cook them with the lentils, and then discard the potatoes. Supposedly the potatoes absorb whatever it is that causes gas. I can't vouch for this, but I read it in Organic Gardening several years ago.
Now add about 3 quarts of water to the pot. This is a fast soup, not really meant to simmer for hours. It's best to serve it as soon as the carrots are tender. Also, the lentils tend to absorb water, and you may have to add more. Add the frozen spinach as one lump--it will melt on its own.
Now for the seasonings. All of these are pretty much optional, but the two I would advise especial care with are cumin and celery seed. These are both very powerful flavors, and may run roughshod over the others. Add slowly to taste. I recommend grinding dried rosemary in a mortar and pestle. It releases the fragrance of the herb, sort of pine-y and lavender at the same time. Add the whole bay leaves, and be sure to remove them from the bowl before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste as well. Oh, and only a few flakes of chili pepper. Just enough to make the soup warming.
Now, the hot pepper oil and sherry--add those last, letting each person decide for themselves if they want to float a bit on the surface of the soup.
Now, what would you change? Anything here you can't stand? Is anything missing? What would you do to make it better?
Enjoy.
Edie
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-12-07 05:00 pm (UTC)You do realise that at some point I'm going to have to get copies of these for the Cabal Cookbook, if it ever comes into being?
no subject
Date: 2003-12-08 04:31 am (UTC)(But if they ever don't make a cookbook, I want a copy!)
no subject
Date: 2003-12-08 05:06 am (UTC)She has learned, and learned well.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-08 06:24 am (UTC)I tend to cook on the fly. Copy them now because I will have forgotten what I put in them the next time I make these soups.
Remember, a soup is a meal that somebody added water to because the boss is coming over for dinner.
Edie
no subject
Date: 2003-12-08 07:15 am (UTC)Home delivery? :-)
-m
no subject
Date: 2003-12-08 07:20 am (UTC)(are you guys digging out too, or is it just the New Englandahs?)
no subject
Date: 2003-12-08 07:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-09 04:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-09 05:17 pm (UTC)Edie
ambitious(underscore)wench(2+shift)cox(period)net
no subject
Date: 2003-12-09 06:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-09 07:36 pm (UTC)I also included a spam-bot proof email address that you can reach me at for further discussion on what I thought would improve the community.
Edie