There are probably a dozen ways to make Lentil Soup.. all of them good. Here in the stew we try to keep things simple and inexpensive which is most certainly the case with this recipe. The only luxury ingredient we include is olive oil (preferably extra virgin) which we both start and end with.
Whenever I have a bowl of soup in front of me I have to “anoint it” with a little drizzle of olive oil before plunging my spoon in. The oil adds a flowery-grassy hint to the soup. But I must warn you… anointing is habit forming. Once you start anointing it is difficult to quit. You may even become like me – an anointaolivic. There are no support groups that I know of for anointers, no Anointers Anonymous. So if you do not want to spend the rest of your life anointing then it is best to never start anointing at all.
What You’ll Need
1 – 16 ounce bag of brown lentils
1 medium onion – diced
1 stalk of celery – diced
1 carrot – diced
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
¼ cup of fresh dill
Olive oil
Salt
Ground Black (or Cayenne) pepper
What to Do
Put a glug of olive oil into a large pot. Add the diced onions, carrots and celery to the pot with oil and put a medium heat under it. Sweat the veg on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Open the package of lentils and dump them into a large bowl. Add clean cold water to the bowl until it completely covers the lentils. Stick a hand in the bowl and swish the lentils around a little with your fingers and check to see if there are any little pebbles lurking on the bottom of the bowl. Usually there are not, but it’s better to check than to crack a tooth.
Remove the lentils from the bowl of water with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the pot with the sizzled veg.
Add clean cold water to the pot with the lentils and veg, enough to cover the lentils by about 2 inches. Add the chopped garlic. Put a high heat under the pot and bring the soup to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered for about 40 minutes.
When the lentils are cooked through, chop the dill weed up and throw it in the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix it all up real good. Serve hot.. anoint it if you dare.
Makes at least 4 large servings. My cost approx. $ 3.90 total – about $ 98 cents per serving.