DAILY NIBBLES

This is the third week in a row that I’ve made a large pot of some sort of lentil soup for weekday lunches. The first two weeks were a hodge-podge pot of lentil soup, where I threw in whatever veggies were in the fridge and added some spices. Usually something Indian, like mustard seed and curry powder, or chili-like.

Edible, but nothing to blog about.

I love Laura’s blog The First Mess, and she posted a recipe last week that was of her favorite lentil soup. I thought, I’ve got to make it this weekend.

I went right by the recipe (Laura went to culinary school and gives the best instructions AND takes the most beautiful food photos), except added a few turnips from my CSA.

I liked that this recipe used:

1. A lot of garlic. I hate chopping garlic, but love it in most meals.

2. New herbs. I’ve never made anything with thyme and tarragon. Laura said it gives off a lemony flavor, which it totally did.

3. French lentils. These lentils hold their shape really well when cooked. I also like red lentils, but they cook down and almost become mushy, which wouldn’t work out so well in this soup. (I don’t like the word ‘mushy’– it sounds so inedible – but that’s really what they do, only in a delicious way.)

Rinse the lentils well, then add them to the cooked vegetables along with vegetable stock and diced tomatoes. Cover and simmer. The soup is done in about 25-30 minutes.

Dinner on Sunday night and lunch for the week. Simple, healthy yet delicious, and very cost friendly. Went amazingly well with my crusty loaf of CSA bread.

It felt very French, but in an earthy, not fussy way. I was reminded of how people dressed when I was in Paris this summer. They were striking, not because they were flashy, but because everything fit well and looked effortlessly put together. This soup has those same principles. It was a much more sophisticated soup than I’ve been making, which I liked.