Lentil Soup

Though this is not a culinary blog, there has been some inquiry into my peasant lentil soup recipe (Hi Megan) and in compliance with the wishes of others, I offer this tasty dish.

It is to be remembered that my old grandma, affectionately known as Nanny, was a great cook in the tradition of hardworking hill people in the goaty villages above Naples near a town called Ariano Irpino, see below. And traditionally, there were no measuring cups, just good Italian eyes and hands that felt their way through every meal preparation.

Please enjoy this soup. It’s extremely inexpensive to make, tasty as a farm kitchen in the rocky hills outside of Naples and as Nanny used to say, “It’s so good for you. It’s loaded with iron.”

Lentil Soup

Fill up a big pot of water about ¾ full. Don’t use a lobster pot. That’s too big. Don’t use the vegetable pot. That’s too small. Use the big spaghetti pot that you usually use to make a pound of spaghetti.

Rinse a bag of normal cheap lentils in a strainer. The usual sized bag you find in the bean aisle of the grocery store. Dump them into the pot of water.

Chop up two good sized cheap yellow onions...wedge type chops that are about the size of a table spoon...throw them in the pot.

Chop up a bag of celery after you wash it...you know, one normal bag of celery, like a full clump of it. Make the pieces about the size of a table spoon. Throw them in the pot.

Now the carrots...peel as many as you like and chop them up table spoon size and put them in. I only put in like four carrots because I’m sugar phobic. You can put in ten carrots, easily. Nanny put in at least that many. The carrots are great.

That’s all the big ingredients.

Add a couple splashes of olive oil. Cover the top of the water with ground pepper. Really cover it. This soup needs pepper. Then, add as much salt as you think a pot of food this big would need. Don’t over salt. In about a half hour come back and taste. You can add a little salt then if necessary. It is essential that the soup tastes a little salty but not too. I usually do two big shakes from the Morton container.

Stir all this with a wooden spoon, bring to a boil and then turn down the flame to a light boil and let it cook about an hour and fifteen or thirty minutes, or until the celery is soft (but not pulverized). This soup should not become thick like a bean paste lentil chili that so many American restaurants offer. The soup should retain a bit of a watery look to it. The lentils will certainly release their beany goodness into the water, but the whole thing should end up with the consistency halfway between a light vegetable soup and the lentil soup you are usually asked to eat.

Meanwhile, on the side, make some spaghetti. Break the spaghetti into about two inch long pieces before you make it. Cook normally in boiling water. You can also use Whole Wheat pasta if you are watching your carbs. Tastes fine in this soup. Don’t overcook the spaghetti or Nanny will come back and hit you with a wooden spoon. Strain and put in a separate bowl, adding a little bit of the soup to it so the pasta doesn’t stick together.

When the soup is ready, put a little handful of pasta at the bottom of each soup bowl, cover it with the soup and shake grated parmesan over the top.

Delish.

Store the extra soup and pasta in separate containers in the fridge.

You’ll have enough soup for a week and it will cost you under ten dollars. “And it’s loaded with iron.”



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