Lentil Soup

Fall: The time of year when the air is starting to cool and you can just feel fall approaching and when I tend to make a lot of soups. I don't know about you but during this time of year, I always feel cold and since I can really only drink so much coffee, I make soup.

There is something quite satisfying about a steaming hot bowl of soup on a chilly fall day. I practically live off soup from September straight on through to spring. Or chili or stew which is basically soup with more stuff in it, or less water, depending on which way you look at it.

Here is a recipe I found when I was going through my mother in laws cookbooks that is quickly becoming my favourite. I swear if I made it one more time last Fall there would have been a protest. To which I said, if you don't like what I made, the kitchen is right over there. My partner insists that the only reason I am alive is because I haven't eaten their cooking. Should a person who says they can't cook, really be complaining about the food they are being served? Especially when it's made with love by their partner using their own mother's recipe? #Shutupandeatyoursoup

Ingredients (per person)

Oil - 1 - 3 tablespoons should do depending on how oily you like your soup. I admit that 1T does not seem like enough and usually prefer my soups with a little extra oil in them.

1/2 Onion, minced finely - A little hint about chopping onion without looking like you just came off a chick flick marathon: cut your onions into wedges or large chunks and keep them in the freezer. When you need some onion, grab a few and use as is or mince finely before they fully thaw. No more tears.

1 Carrot, minced finely - you can cut the carrots up as coarse or as fine as you like. I prefer my carrots cooked. If I can't stick a fork in it, it is not cooked enough. So, I tend to practically grate my carrots but if you prefer to cut them into coins, go for it. Just remember, the thicker the carrot slices, the longer it will need to cook.

1 stalk Celery, minced finely - As with the carrots, the size you cut these to is entirely up to you. I have always cut celery into thin slices at a bit of an angle. I got this tip from a friend of mine who worked in their family's Chinese restaurant growing up. They cut the celery crosswise at quite an angle. It makes the pieces longer and stretches out the celery making one stalk look like much more. Plus the added bonus is that by cutting the celery this way, you cut through the "strings" and there is less to pick out of your teeth later.

1 clove garlic, minced - I probably tripled this amount. I <3 <3 <3 Garlic and luckily for me - so does my partner

2c Broth - Use whatever you have on hand: veggie stock, chicken broth, beef broth, low sodium. You can even use plain water if you like. But, if you do use just water, remember to add a little extra salt and add more seasonings as the broth does add a lot of flavour to the final product.

3/4c cooked Lentils - I had canned lentils on hand. I did have dried lentils on hand but they were in a bag sitting at the back of the cupboard for who knows how long so I decided to compost them rather than subject my partner to that. They were so old the dried lentils looked even drier.

2t Red Wine - This does not need to be from an expensive bottle of wine. Save that for drinking. For this you can opt for a lower priced wine as you are not going to drink it and simmering it and really cheap or expensive wine, the end result will be the same.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Any spices you have around the house - When I make something that only calls for Salt and pepper, I let it cook for a while and then taste it. If it needs something more, I go through my spices and see which ones might compliment the dish. One way to check is to hold the spice over the dish and smell seeing if the aromas match or clash.

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.

Add the onions, carrot celery, and garlic. Cook stirring a few times until the onion softens. This took me about 7 minutes.

Add the broth and bring to a boil, allowing to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the lentils and allow to simmer until the broth thickens a little. This took about 10 minutes for me. Stir in the wine and season to taste.