Lentil Soup

For some reason many beginning cooks believe that soups are difficult to make, or that they require a great deal of skill. The truth is that soups can be one of the easiest things in the world to make. To illustrate this point, here is a fantastic recipe for lentil soup that you will just love. Just follow the directions, and you will have a fantastically savory soup that you and your family will love.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 2 large scoops of lentils (your choice)
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 large carrot
• 1 bay leaf
• Olive oil
• Fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Red wine vinegar

Recipe:

1. Rinse. Rinse off the lentils in your sink using a colander. Typically all you will need to do is stick them in the colander, and turn the cold water on. This will help remove any dust or dirt that they may have accumulated during storage. Set the colander aside to drain.
2. Prepare the veggies. Rinse and clean the vegetables if they are not already clean. Once they are cleaned, begin chopping and dicing them. Do this with all of the vegetables, from the onion and garlic to the carrot and celery.
3. Saute veggies. Grab a large cooking pot, and cover the bottom of the pot with some oil. Turn the stove on, and heat the oil up. Pour the veggies into the cooking pot, and saute them until they are soft. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the veggies to help season the soup.
4. Add ingredients. Once the veggies have been softened and sauted, it is now time to add the remaining ingredients. This means that you add the thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes, lentils, and broth. If you think that you don't have enough liquid, add a bit of water to the mix as well as a little bit extra salt and pepper and bring everything to a very gentle boil.
5. Simmer. Reduce the heat to medium or medium low and cover the pot. Allow the mixture to simmer for at least thirty minutes. You will know that the cook time has finished when the lentils are soft to the touch.
6. Taste and finish. Before you remove the soup and begin serving it, take a final taste. Add some salt and pepper until you like the taste, and then add a drizzle of vinegar to the mix for an added zing.

Remember, that a soup is something that should typically be served warm, though not all that hot. This means that you don't want to over heat the soup while you are cooking it, and have it boil. Rather, you will want it to simmer, and then when you are ready to serve it, allow it to cool for just a bit. If you aren't careful you can easily end up with the soup burning your tongue which will make it a lot less enjoyable for everyone.