My Mother's Cooking - Lentil Soup
My Mother's Lentil Soup
Lentil Soup
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LENTIL SOUP
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When my mother made lentil soup, she usually started with a meaty beef soup bone, which she simmered in water until the meat was ready to fall off of the bone.
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Today, with quality beef stock available in the supermarket I normally start out with lean beef and add a couple of boxes of beef broth. I use whatever beef is on sale, even stew meat if it is cheap enough.
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There are a lot of different lentils available, but my mother always used the green ones, so I do too. I also like to add about four slices of bacon, cut into ½ inch strips to add some complexity, but feel free to leave it out.
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The secret to making good soup is to brown the beef and sauté the onions, carrots and celery in oil before adding the other ingredients. However, I always add the garlic directly to the liquid because if it browns even a little, it tends to turn bitter.
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I like to use diced tomatoes to give the soup a little texture and my mother liked to add ketchup to some of her soups to give it just a hint of a sweet/sour taste. Remember that the longer a soup simmers, the better it tastes so you should start it in the morning and let it simmer all day if you have time.
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Difficulty:
Easy
Preparation Time:
60 Minutes
Cooking Time:
2-3 hours
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Ingredients:
1 Lb. of Dry Lentils
1 Lb. Boneless Beef cut into ¾ inch cubes
4 Slices of Bacon cut into ½ inch strips
3 Tablespoons of Oil
2 Medium Onion peeled and chopped
3 Carrots scraped and chopped
3 Stalks of Celery cleaned and chopped
1-28 Oz. Can of Diced Tomatoes
2-32 Oz. Boxes of Beef Broth
½ Cup Ketchup
6 Cloves of Garlic peeled and finely chopped.
1 Bay Leaf
1 Teaspoon of Dry Thyme
1 Tablespoon Dry Basil
3 Teaspoons Salt
½ Teaspoon of Black Pepper
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Cooking Instructions:
- Heat the oil in a large kettle and brown the beef cubes on all sides. Then remove them to another dish with a slotted spoon.
- Add the bacon and cook it until it is rendered but not crisp.
- Drain off about half of the fat and add the carrots, onions and celery and sprinkle them with one teaspoon of salt and the pepper and cook them briefly.
- Add the tomatoes, beef broth, ketchup, chopped garlic thyme and basil and simmer about 1-1/2 hours until the beef is tender.
- Wash and sort the lentils, add them to the soup and continue cooking for at least a half-hour until the lentils are soft.
- Taste and adjust the salt level as needed.
- This is a hearty soup and we usually just ate it with fresh bread or rolls, but a small salad would also go nicely also.
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LENTILS
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Lentils are edible legumes that grow in pods with two seeds in each pod. They have been used as food for more than 10,000 years.
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Lentils range in color from yellow to red to green and even to brown or black.
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With 30 percent of their calories from protein, they have the third highest level after soybeans and hemp.
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How to Make Beef Bone Broth
Easy Lentil Soup
Vegetarian Lentil Soup
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