Tuesday, February 2, 2010

A soup redux


This is one of my simpler recipes (I do go on a bit, don’t I?). I made mine with a type of whole lentil bean called urad dal, but any lentils or even canned beans would suffice. Why don’t I add the lentils until the very end? I find that they (or a soup pasta) will suck up a lot of liquid overnight in the fridge (assuming you have leftovers). Beans are less of a problem in that regard. The second time you serve the soup you can warm the lentils in the microwave and the soup will have a fresh taste.

I combine broth and water again for a freshness that all broth might not give you. I think half and half broth and water would probably be fine as well. Individual taste trumps the details of any recipe after all.

A soup redux
3 bratwurst or other sausages
1 tbsp olive oil
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 large carrot, cut into ½” pieces
3 cups beef broth (or chicken broth) – low sodium
2 cup water
salt and pepper
1 cup lentils (any kind, cooked according to package directions)
juice of ½ lemon
cilantro or parsley for garnish

Put the sausages in a sauté pan with 3 tbsp water. Turn heat to medium. Cook, turning frequently, until the water has evaporated. Add the olive oil and sauté until browned and nearly cooked through (about 10 minutes).

Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more oil if necessary and when hot add onions to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (4 min.) and then add the garlic. Add the carrots and sauté 5 minutes, again stirring occasionally.

Add the broth and water and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In the meantime, cut the sausages into bite-size pieces. Add the sausages to the vegetable mixture and simmer until the carrots are tender.

When ready to serve, place an appropriate amount of lentils in each heated soup bowl, garnish with lemon juice, cilantro or parsley (or both!) and a drizzle of olive oil if you wish. Refrigerate any leftover lentils for seconds another day.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Yum! That looks so good! Thanks for the info on the beans too. I make a pasta fagioli dish that calls for lentils and I noticed the leftovers never seem to have any of the liquid left in it. Now I understand :)

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