LENTIL SOUP OF THE GODS

We had soup for dinner tonight.

No, it's not the recipe I'm posting, but it did bring up an interesting discussion of soup.

The soup I made today was your typical leftover-hambone-plus-white beans-and-veggies. If you are one of the few whose mother did not make this for you a few days after a big ham dinner, let me know and I'll send this yummy recipe to you. Eating this soup, however, brought up the other kind of soup that is synonymous with the name Lawrence Angerbauer (that's my father-in-law, in case you don't know): Lentil Soup.

My father-in-law, bless his heart, is 89 years old (yes, that makes him 55 years old when Mark was born! Crazy!). He's a widower and has lived alone for 18 years. He has simple tastes... cracked wheat mush, no sugar, whole milk for breakfast, a piece of homemade bread for lunch, and a helping out of his large pot of lentil soup for dinner. He's able to live off this "humble fare" as he calls it probably because he has no sense of taste anymore (honestly). His lentil soup has no taste, either. It is a mixture of mostly lentils, crunchy celery and onions, maybe a carrot for color, and little or no spices other than salt. Palatable, but not desirable.

Enter Cooks Illustrated.

This is where I get my best recipes. I can honestly say that, after years of using recipes from their cookbooks and magazines, I've only been disappointed once-- and it wasn't on their lentil soup (some sort of sauteed spinach recipe, I think). For my siblings who've eaten at Der Rheinlander in Portland, this soup is *gasp* even better. So now, thanks to Cooks Illustrated, whenever I think about Lentil Soup, I can quickly switch mindsets between blah and YUM!

LENTIL SOUP

3 slices bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces

1 large onion

2 med. carrots, peeled and chopped medium

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried)

1 c. lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 tsp. salt

pepper

1/2 c. dry white wine

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 c. water

1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1) Fry the bacon in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 3-4 minutes. Add onion and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme; cook until fragrant. Stir in the lentils, salt, and pepper to taste; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until vegetables are softened and the lentils have darkened, about 8-10 minutes,

2) Uncover, increase heat to high, add wine, and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken broth and water; bring to a boil, cover partially, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

3) Puree 3 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth, then return to pot. Stir in the vinegar and heat the soup over medium-low heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Serve. Garnish with minced fresh parsley leaves.

VARIATION (haven't tried it yet, but it sounds good!)

Add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp, ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper with the garlic; substitute lemon juice for balsamic vinegar.