Lentil Soup

For a long time I went without eating soup, chowder being an exception.

I think I was somehow stuck in the land where soup is the shape of a can, has a jelly-like texture, and drops into the pot with a sickening, gooey sucking sound, followed by a *plop*. You add water or milk and hope that you can whisk with enough fury to avoid the lumps that were, more often than not, unavoidable in the first place. The soup might have pasta shaped like letters or noodles that looked (and tasted) like matchsticks. Although it has been a long time since I've eaten meat, I can still remember that chewy, rubbery texture of the "chicken" in Chicken Noodle Soup.

Have you noticed the soup section at the supermarket lately? Tuscan Bean Soup, Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato, Cream of Carrot... the selection has certainly gone beyond the Chicken Noodle and Cream of Mushroom of my childhood.

Lately, though, Hubby and I have been trying homemade soups on for size. There is nothing quite as satisfying or comforting as a piping hot bowl of homemade soup. Add a dollop of sour cream and bread for dipping and you're even closer to perfection.

Just last week I spied my little eye on lentils at the supermarket and figured they would be the perfect "meat" to bulk up a vegetarian soup. I always use vegetable stock, although I'm sure any type of stock would taste fine.

The cumin in this soup makes it reminiscent of chili... thick and hearty and the perfect thing to warm the belly on a cold Canadian winter day.

INGREDIENTS

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

2 cups lentils, uncooked

8 cups vegetable stock or water (if water is used, add 1 veg. bouillon cube)

1 med. yellow onion, chopped

2 small carrots, thickly sliced

1 rib celery, chopped

1 large potato, peeled and cut into large cubes

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. coriander seed, crushed

1/2 tsp. cumin

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-4 oz. fresh spinach, chopped if leaves are large

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

Salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion and cook 3-5 minutes or until onion are soft.

Add lentils, stock, carrot, celery, potato, bay leaves, coriander, cumin, and pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Add garlic, salt, and spinach. Taste for seasoning; add coriander or cumin to taste. Simmer for another few minutes or until spinach is wilted.

Stir in red wine vinegar. Serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Chili and Cornbread

It's taken me a few days to post about our Superbowl snacks... I guess I wanted to wait for the wounds to heal just enough so that mentioning the Giants win would reopen them. Salt? Yeah, that too...

Over it yet? Okay, let's move on...

Chili, specifically this Spicy Vegetarian Chili from Simply Recipes. This chili has just the right amount of spiciness but can easily be adjusted to your taste.

The only change I made was a substitution for the eggplant. Instead of roasted eggplant, I used about six grilled portabellini mushrooms that were cut into 1/2-inch cubes. I love these mushrooms and since this chili isn't real juicy, having these little juicy bites of mushroom added a lot to the flavor. Scrumptious!

To go with the chili, I made a Chili Polenta Cake (or Chili Cornbread) with chopped red peppers and jalapeno peppers. Again, you can use as many jalapeno peppers as you like or none at all really. But then it would just be plain ole cornbread, wouldn't it?

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups polenta or cornmeal
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup skim milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
2 tsp jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 oz butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Mix in cornmeal/polenta and cheese.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk sour cream, milk, eggs, red pepper, and jalapeno. Melt butter and stir into sour cream mixture.
4. Pour all liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix well.
5. Pour into greased pan (I used an 8-inch round pan); cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Enjoy! (Sorry, no pic...)

Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

I made Creamy Leek and Potato Soup a couple of nights ago and ... yum. It's not really a 'cream of' soup since the base is mostly stock and the pureed potatoes give it that creamy texture. The little bit of cream that is in it is just for taste.

Whatever you want to call it, it turned out really good. I had never bought leeks before but definitely will again. It was difficult to get a feel on their flavor in this soup so next time the recipe will be more leek-centric. Maybe I'll roast them.

For info on how to clean leeks and how to cook them in just about every way possible, check out this link.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, white and green parts, sliced (wash well)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
7 cups vegetable stock
3 large potatoes, peeled, quartered
1 cup heavy cream
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Garnish (optional): fresh parsley, soft herbed cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

2. Add the vegetable stock and potatoes. Cover and simmer gently until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat. In a food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Stir cream into soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Ladle into bowls; garnish with parsley and cheese if desired.