In My Kitchen by Deborah Madison

Author:Deborah Madison [Madison, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony
Published: 2017-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

HEARTY LENTIL MINESTRONE WITH KALE

This soup merges two recipes, and the result is a hearty soup, studded with interesting pasta shapes (or you could use an unusual grain), and finished with plenty of chopped celery leaf, robust olive oil, and a shaving of cheese (or not). It’s a dish I’d serve for a winter Sunday supper with toast and a salad. It’s a pleasure to craft this soup, especially at the end when you put it all together, layer by layer. That’s when the flavor comes together in a big way.

I often reach for my jar of French green lentils, but I think the dusty-green German lentils would work well, too. In fact, some people call them “soup lentils.” They’re larger than the little Puy lentils (or Belugas, for that matter) and not as visually dramatic, but they’re far less expensive and they taste just fine. In any case, I cover my lentils with water to soak while I prepare the vegetables. Soaking yields a fuller flavor and quicker cooking time.

I’m giving the amounts here in cups as well as more singular units, because I know if you’re cooking from your garden, you may have carrots and such that don’t conform to regulated “store” size. However, if you find you have a little extra of anything, do put it in the soup rather than throw it away. For the most part, soups are hugely accommodating dishes.

Two caveats: First, cook your pasta or grain separately and add it to each serving, otherwise it will swell as it drinks up all the liquid. If you find you have a very thick pot of leftover soup and pasta the following day, thin it with water or vegetable stock. Or pluck out the swollen pasta pieces and heat the lentils to serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

The second caveat has to do with the greens. If you bypass the kale and use bagged “baby” spinach, be sure to wash it, even if a triple wash has been promised. Moist leaves blacken and stick to leaves that may be good, and the rotted leaves taste terrible. You’ll want to discard the blackened ones and those that have yellowed. And if you don’t mind a finicky task, snip off the stems with a scissors; otherwise you’ll end up with a stemmy mass at the end. While all greens are naturals with lentils, I’ve called for kale because I appreciate its dark color and robust quality, but you can use any green that appeals.

Serves 6; V if you omit the cheese, GF

1½ cups dark green lentils

2 tablespoons olive oil for the pot, plus your best olive oil to finish

1 large onion, finely diced (about 2 cups)

1 heaping tablespoon nutritional yeast

2 bay leaves

6 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried

3 tablespoons (or more) chopped parsley

1 cup diced carrots (a mix of varieties is great)

1 cup finely diced celery, pale leaves reserved and finely chopped to make ¼ cup

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 plump

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