Saturday, November 6, 2010

simply the best lentil soup



It seems silly to say that there will be a lot of cooking going on around here this month. There is always a lot of cooking going on around here.

But there has been, and there will be, even more than usual. You see, not only are we gearing up for Thanksgiving in just a few short weeks (!), but the Bushwick Starr's Fall Gala is now less than two weeks away. For the last month, I've been testing recipes to serve at a three course family style farm-to-table dinner. And now it's crunch time!

I've been testing recipes a few times a week, and in between trials, I haven't felt like doing a lot of fancy cooking. Still, we certainly haven't been going hungry. We've been eating all of my test food, along with a handful of much simpler things: Apple pork sausages sauteed with brussels sprouts, this kale and fried egg salad, and recipes from a fantastic cookbook I just bought called Olives and Oranges by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox.

I rarely cook from recipes, but I love the way these are written. They are clear, straightforward, and most appealingly, they completely invoke the flavors of the places that they are from and the seasons in which they are traditionally made. A few weeks ago, I tried the Braised Lamb with Concord Grapes and Green Tomatoes. It was unlike anything I'd ever had before; the sweetness of the grapes was present but subtle, and complimented and blended with with acidity of the tomatoes and the mild meaty gaminess of the lamb.

Everything I've made so far from this book has been incredible, but my favorite may be a very simple and completely satisfying lentil soup. Honestly, I decided to try this recipe because I already had all of the ingredients in my kitchen, and it was a nasty, rainy day outside. It seemed a little too simple to be good, and lentils have always seemed a little bland to me. But in this recipe they're not, they're deeply flavorful: earthy, slightly fruity from a drizzle of olive oil, rich from the red wine, fresh from the chopped parsley.

This lentil soup is the perfect thing to help ease this very-November weather. The warmth of its slow simmer will steam up the inside of your kitchen windows, and it's so much nicer to watch the raindrops trickle down the panes from a cozy kitchen over a bowl of delicious soup. It almost sounds like something to look forward to.

Lentil Soup from Olives and Oranges

1 1/2 cups small lentils (about 12 ounces)
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small dried red chili pepper [Mary: I used 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes here]
1/2 cup dry red wine
4 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon medium-course sea salt, or more to taste

Rinse lentils and discard any stones or other debris.

Pulse onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a food processor until just minced [Mary: this can also be done by hand]. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetable mixture and crumble in chili, then reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

Add wine and cook until mostly evaporated, about 6 minutes. Add water and lentils, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes. Stir in parsley and salt.

Serve soup drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with additional salt to taste.

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