Adapted from Food52.
An immensely filling, satisfying soup for a cold night. This recipe probably serves somewhere between 5 and 8 people; it's also perfect to make for two, because the leftovers are awesome.
1.5 c. French green lentils
2 bay leaves
3 tbs. olive oil, divided
3-4 sausages (the herbier the better; I used chicken sausage)
1 large yellow onion
4-6 cloves of garlic
1/2 c. sturdy red wine (I used a cotes du rhone)
3 stalks celery
1 tbs dried marjoram
4 carrots
4 c. chicken stock (I happened to have homemade stock on hand, I think it makes a big difference)
2 c. chopped spinach
1/4 c. chopped parsley
salt + pepper, to taste
1. Fill a tea kettle with water and put it up to boil while you do the following step.
2. Heat 2 tbs oil with one of the bay leaves and saute the sausages, if they aren't pre-coked. Once cooked, slice into 3/4" slices and brown them (next time, I'd cut the slices a bit thinner). Set the sausage slices aside, but leave the pan on the stove (with the now-sausage-flavored oil in it).
3. Rinse the lentils in cold water, make sure to pick out any stones, etc., and put the lentils on the stove in the soup pot with at least 3 cups of hot water from the kettle. (Note: it's fine if the water hasn't boiled yet.) Stir the lentils and cook over medium heat while you chop the vegetables (the timing is fine on this, though I like to chop all of the veg before I get started because I'm both neurotic and slow at chopping/peeling). Stir the lentils occasionally while you chop, and make sure to add more hot water as they cook if they start to look dry.
4. If you're in any sort of hurry (or if you find cold chicken stock to be totally gross looking), heat up the stock so it's hot when you add it to the soup.
5. While you're chopping: onions should be chopped so they're about 1/2" square, and the garlic should be coarsely chopped. In the pan where you cooked the sausages, add the remaining oil, as well as the onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the onions start to look a bit translucent, push them to one side and add the wine on the other side of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the stock to the pot with the lentils + water.
7. Chop the celery into small dice; add those to the pot. Add the marjoram and stir well, continuing to cook. (I also added a couple pinches of crushed red pepper here for a little heat.)
8. Chop the carrots into slices/chunks, and add them to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Note: the original recipe says to add the sausage here, but I did and think it was a mistake with the chicken sausage. When it cooks for a relatively long time in the broth, the flavor of the sausage basically leeches out -- this makes for marginally better broth but definitely tasteless sausage. Next time, I'll add the sausage just before serving the soup.)
9. Cook for at least another 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary and stirring occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking. I kept the soup more or less at a simmer, and basically monitored the lentils.
10. Cook until the carrots are tender and the lentils are to your liking. Adjust seasoning as needed.
11. Add spinach and parsley and serve when soup is very hot. (A nice, crusty bread goes great with this soup.)
An immensely filling, satisfying soup for a cold night. This recipe probably serves somewhere between 5 and 8 people; it's also perfect to make for two, because the leftovers are awesome.
1.5 c. French green lentils
2 bay leaves
3 tbs. olive oil, divided
3-4 sausages (the herbier the better; I used chicken sausage)
1 large yellow onion
4-6 cloves of garlic
1/2 c. sturdy red wine (I used a cotes du rhone)
3 stalks celery
1 tbs dried marjoram
4 carrots
4 c. chicken stock (I happened to have homemade stock on hand, I think it makes a big difference)
2 c. chopped spinach
1/4 c. chopped parsley
salt + pepper, to taste
1. Fill a tea kettle with water and put it up to boil while you do the following step.
2. Heat 2 tbs oil with one of the bay leaves and saute the sausages, if they aren't pre-coked. Once cooked, slice into 3/4" slices and brown them (next time, I'd cut the slices a bit thinner). Set the sausage slices aside, but leave the pan on the stove (with the now-sausage-flavored oil in it).
3. Rinse the lentils in cold water, make sure to pick out any stones, etc., and put the lentils on the stove in the soup pot with at least 3 cups of hot water from the kettle. (Note: it's fine if the water hasn't boiled yet.) Stir the lentils and cook over medium heat while you chop the vegetables (the timing is fine on this, though I like to chop all of the veg before I get started because I'm both neurotic and slow at chopping/peeling). Stir the lentils occasionally while you chop, and make sure to add more hot water as they cook if they start to look dry.
4. If you're in any sort of hurry (or if you find cold chicken stock to be totally gross looking), heat up the stock so it's hot when you add it to the soup.
5. While you're chopping: onions should be chopped so they're about 1/2" square, and the garlic should be coarsely chopped. In the pan where you cooked the sausages, add the remaining oil, as well as the onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the onions start to look a bit translucent, push them to one side and add the wine on the other side of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the stock to the pot with the lentils + water.
7. Chop the celery into small dice; add those to the pot. Add the marjoram and stir well, continuing to cook. (I also added a couple pinches of crushed red pepper here for a little heat.)
8. Chop the carrots into slices/chunks, and add them to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Note: the original recipe says to add the sausage here, but I did and think it was a mistake with the chicken sausage. When it cooks for a relatively long time in the broth, the flavor of the sausage basically leeches out -- this makes for marginally better broth but definitely tasteless sausage. Next time, I'll add the sausage just before serving the soup.)
9. Cook for at least another 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary and stirring occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking. I kept the soup more or less at a simmer, and basically monitored the lentils.
10. Cook until the carrots are tender and the lentils are to your liking. Adjust seasoning as needed.
11. Add spinach and parsley and serve when soup is very hot. (A nice, crusty bread goes great with this soup.)
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