Lentil soup

I've been meaning to post this wonderful recipe for a few weeks. I made it during a brief period of wellness before I got sick again, and having it on hand while I was sick made for some easy, delicious meals. It's a slightly modified version of an Ina Garten recipe, and it's very tasty. As with so many soups, it improves with age and freezes well. A vegetarian version would also be great, without the sausage and with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Lentil Soup

1 pound de Puy lentils (or other small green lentils)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
3 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 stalks celery, chopped (about 1.5 cups)
3 medium carrots, chopped (about 1.5 cups)
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and sliced 1/3 inch thick.
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, for serving.

Pick over the lentils for stones. Place lentils in a large bowl and cover with 2 quarts boiling water. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and leeks and sauté for 10-15 minutes, until translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and sauté for a further 10 minutes, until tender. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 1 - 1.5 hours, or until the lentils are tender and cooked through. Check the seasonings, and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the kielbasa and simmer until the sausage is heated through. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Parmigiano.

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Chicken soup from start to finish

Adapted from the Cook's Illustrated Best New Recipe cookbook. That recipe called for noodles, but I prefer wild rice in my homemade chicken soup. I had recently fallen out of the habit of making soup with my roasted chicken carcasses, since the stock recipe that I was using, while an excellent stock, was a bit of an undertaking. This one uses vegetables and herbs that I almost always have sitting in my fridge and, despite being very simple, comes out just as robust as the more elaborate stock recipe I used to use. Consider this a starter recipe: you could add mushrooms or whatever other vegetables you like (a friend of mine had great success with adding minced red and orange bell pepper). I've made this soup as written twice now, and gotten excellent results both times. I like to make a full batch and stick some in the freezer for when I'm sick or in a time crunch and need some comfort food.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Makes about 3 1/2 quarts

For the stock:

1 whole chicken carcass (from a roasted chicken), plus saved drippings from the roasting pan (fat skimmed and discarded)
1-2 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
fresh parsley
fresh thyme
fresh sage
2 t. salt
water

Heat the oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute for 5-10 minutes, until tender. Add herbs (no need to chop them) and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add 2 1/2 quarts water, the salt, and the chicken carcass (plus drippings). Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 60-90 minutes, or until you're satisfied with how it tastes. Cool and strain the broth, discarding the solids.

For the soup:

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
Chicken stock (above)
at least 2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken (I usually use the leg meat from the roasted chicken, plus the meat of two legs that I roast while I make the stock)
1 cup wild rice, cooked until almost tender
additional salt and pepper as desired

Heat oil in large soup pot. Add vegetables and saute until softened, 5-10 minutes. Add the stock and chicken and simmer 10-15 minutes, then add the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the soup is seasoned to your liking. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling and good bread for mopping up.

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Chili for a (small) crowd

There are few meals that say "comfort food" to me like chili and rice. I love chili, be it vegetarian, meat chili with beans, or meat chili with not much other than meat; and I particularly love it spooned over (and then mixed up with) a bowl of basmati rice. I almost always have some on hand in the freezer for evenings when I'm too tired or busy to cook, and usually I have both vegetarian black bean chili and a decidedly non-vegetarian chili based on the "Chili for a crowd" recipe from the Silver Palate Good Times cookbook. It's the latter, or my version of it, that I'm posting here.

2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. diced yellow onions
3/4 lb. bulk Italian sausage--mild or hot, depending on your preference
2 lb. ground beef (I like Central Market's "chili beef," which is a very coarse grind about 1/2" in diameter)
4-5 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 x 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 oz. ground cumin
1 oz. chili powder
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tbsp. dried oregano
24 oz. canned diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c. dry red wine
1 x 15 oz. can black beans
1 x 15 oz. can kidney beans
1 1/2 tbsp. salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot, and cook the onions over medium heat until they are tender and translucent. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook over medium-high heat until browned, breaking up large chunks and stirring often. Reduce heat to medium, add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, basil, salt, mustard, and tomato paste, and cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, and wine, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste and simmer longer if necessary to achieve the desired consistency. This chili freezes well, so make a big batch and stick most of it in the freezer for later.

Makes 8 - 10 servings.

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Great fall soup

I've had a bunch of farro on hand for several months now, and haven't quite known what to do with it. I bought it on a whim, thinking it sounded interesting and full of good nutrients (which it is), but it's almost entirely absent from most of my usual recipe sources. But yesterday I found a recipe on Whole Foods' website for a soup involving farro (as well as sausage, mushrooms, and leafy green escarole--yum!), so this evening I gave it a try. I've written it up here as I made it, based on a couple of minor changes that I made: I didn't have any garlic on hand (I know, I know--I thought I did, but it turned out that I'd used it all up), or beef stock, and so on.

Rustic farro soup with sausage, mushrooms, and escarole
Makes a little less than 6 quarts

14 oz. farro
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup carrots, cut into small dice
1 cup celery, cut into small dice
1 1/4 cup yellow onions, cut into small dice
1 1/2 lb. mild Italian sausage
~8 oz. mushrooms, either mixed or of one variety (I used cremini, oyster, and shiitake), chopped
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 cups red wine (chianti would be a good choice here)
5 cups chicken broth (I recommend Better than Boullion if you don't have homemade on hand)
5 cups mushroom broth (again, I recommend Better than Boullion)
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Pick over the farro, put it in a bowl, and cover it with cool or lukewarm water. Let it soak for several hours--four was plenty for the farro that I had, but soaking times may vary.

Set a large soup pot over medium-high heat and add the EVOO. When the oil shimmers, add the carrot, celery, and onion and saute until the onions are translucent and tender, 10-15 minutes. Add the sausage to the vegetables and cook, breaking up with a fork or spatula into small pieces. When the sausage has browned, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms release most of hteir liquid. Add the tomatoes and juice, wine, chicken and mushroom stocks, and crushed red pepper, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the drained farro and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 45 minutes. When the farro is sufficiently tender, add the escarole and chopped thyme, and simmer a few more minutes until the escarole is cooked.

I served this soup very hot, with grated Parmigiano on top, with slices of crusty bread and a glass of the wine I used in the soup. Delicioso.

Enjoy!

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