Mary Beth – maker of quilts, herder of cats, guardian of fruitcake, owner of the OXO peeler – writes about soup:
Dear Soup Lady, I’ve been enjoying some recipes from other websites, and thought I’d share the soup I made today. Use whatever sort of meat you’d like for the ham. Sure to be OK.
Hearty Veggie Lentil Soup
In a big soup pot, saute:
vegetable oil
two onions, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, mashed
1.5″ thick slice of ham diced (I used turkey ham)
When onions start to turn golden, add:
2-3 quarts of water
1 one pound bag of lentils
5 carrots, diced (about 1/4″”)
5 stalks celery (ditto)
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
fines herbes
dried parsley
Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until the lentils are cooked. Add:
one 28 oz can of pureed tomatoes
one small can ,b>beef stock, if desired
more water if needed
4-5 large leaves of kale, large stems removed. Stack the leaves and slice into 1/4″ ribbons, simmer until the kale is cooked.
Leave uncovered to reduce stock slightly. Just before serving, add a good bit of grated fresh parmasean cheese to each bowl and ladle soup into the bowl.
I like that image: “… slice into 1/4″ ribbons …”
