Recipe
French Lentil Soup
Time: About 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings (easily doubles)
| 3 tablespoons extra–virgin olive oil 2 cups chopped onions 1 cup chopped celery stalks plus chopped celery leaves for garnish 1 cup chopped carrots 2 garlic cloves, chopped |
4 cups (or more) vegetable broth 1¼ cups french lentils, rinsed, drained 1 14½–ounce can diced tomatoes in juice Balsamic vinegar |
Heat oil in a heavy, large saucepan over medium–high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
Add 4 cups of broth, lentils, and tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium–low, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.
Transfer 2 cups of soup (mostly solids) to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the puree to soup in the pan; thin the soup with more broth by ¼ cupfuls, if too thick.
Season with salt, pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with celery leaves.
Notes
If you cannot find French lentils, look for black lentils (at higher end stores). Regular green lentils are not a great substitution but will do in a pinch.
If you double the recipe, be wary of adding too much broth initially. Better to add when needed than to have too thin of a soup. Also, don’t double the oil to sauté the vegetables; it isn’t necessary.
Do not omit the balsamic vinegar as the finishing seasoning. Its acid clarifies the other flavors.
Adapted from Bon Appetit, December 2006