Lentil Soup

Perfect day here to have a big pot of soup simmering on the stove. The television weatherman said yesterday that a cold front would be moving towards southeast Texas. He said to expect temperatures to be around 88. In my opinion, it's colder than that. Around 84 would be my guess, and it's cloudy today, which makes it seem cooler still. I have tip-toed to the thermostat three times today, trying to turn off the air-conditioning without my husband hearing me in the hallway. That's the only bad design feature of this house-- the thermostat is on the wall right outside of his office.

Back to the soup. It smells delicious. I went out to the mailbox just a little while ago to bring the mail in and I can smell the aroma of the soup right out on the front porch. My neighbors will soon be calling to ask if that's really me cooking or have I hired a chef. I don't cook all that much. Fish and salads and spanakopita. That's about what comes out of my kitchen on most days. Oh-- and leftovers from Babbo Bruno's, our favorite Italian restaurant. I can re-heat those dinners very well. It's not that I don't know how to cook. It's just that I'd rather be doing something else. Having to spend hours cooking or baking something that can be eaten in ten minutes just doesn't seem to be an appropriate use of my time. (I can hear my Aunt Dolly saying "Tsk, tsk..." while she shakes her head with disappointment.)

So what started this lentil soup day? We went to Babbo Bruno's this week, as we do at least twice every week, and lentil soup was their soup-of-the-day. Of course I ordered it. Delicious. But that was no surprise-- nothing coming out of their kitchen is less than the best. Babbo Bruno's is family-owned. Not a chain. Not a franchise. One of a kind. Simply the best, as Tina Turner would sing. Everything that leaves the owner/chef's kitchen has been freshly made when ordered. Totally outstanding. Since discovering this Italian restaurant in December of last year, we haven't been satisfied with any of our previously 'favorite' restaurants. Which makes us not want to go to any other restaurant.

Back to the soup. My husband doesn't like lentil soup. When I told him that I was going to make my own lentil soup so I wouldn't have to wait till it was Babbo Bruno's soup-of-the-day again, he told me that I shouldn't eat too many lentils. And why is that, I wanted to know. You could end up in a lentil institution, said he. Regardless, the big pot of lentil soup is now simmering on the stove. And I only know how to make a big pot of this soup. I don't think I have any Italian recipes that will serve just one or two people. (Does such an Italian recipe exist?)

When I went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for this soup, I was thrilled to find little plastic containers filled with pre-chopped onions, celery, carrots and bell peppers. All of the washing, peeling and dicing takes so much time, but this was a snap. Open the containers and toss them in. My grandmother is probably spinning on a cloud if she happened to notice the extra price of that convenience. Both of my grandmothers made lentil soup. I can't even tell you what their recipes tasted like, because I never touched them. I hated lentils back then. When they made lentil soup, I asked for a hamburger. I stopped eating hamburgers (and meat) when I turned 30. And how I wish now that I could taste lentil soup made by either of my grandmothers.

Back to the soup. Into a large, large pot-- a little olive oil. Then your diced carrots, celery, onions, bell peppers, garlic. Use at least a cup each of the carrots, celery, onions and peppers. In my opinion, with this soup, you just can't add 'too much' of those vegetables. As for the garlic--- a clove or two or three will do fine. When all of that is nice and soft and has had a chance to 'get happy' (as Emeril says), add a 28-ounce can of the best crushed tomatoes you can buy. (Don't go buying the store brand.) Then add about a quart of bottled water. Try not to use tap-water when you're making soup. Except, of course, if you think your tap-water has such a wonderful taste. (Does such a tap-water exist?)

Stir all of that around a bit and get it mixed well. Then take your lentils--- which you should have rinsed in warm water and drained, by the way... add those to the soup and use a long wooden spoon to mix everything really well. I used one regular-sized bag of lentils that you always find in the grocery store. (Not a size that you might find in CostPlus or Sam's Club, where they probably sell lentils in 80-pound drums.)

Into that mixture... add some spices: a little parsley, pepper, salt, oregano... whatever you find on your shelf that calls to your lentil-loving-tastebuds. (If a little can of 'pumpkin pie spice' is calling to you, just ignore it this time.)

And then... turn down the heat on that pot, cover it but let the cover not be closed tightly, and let the soup sit and simmer. And I hope you have nothing much planned for lentil soup day, because it has to slowly, slowly simmer for a while. Over two hours. Maybe even three hours. Read a book... listen to some music... clean out a closet... catch up with your mail. Do anything-- but be prepared to walk into the kitchen and take hold of that long wooden spoon and stir that soup around every 15 minutes or so. If you see that it's thickening up too much for your taste, then add a little more water. You may have to do that two or three times, as your lentils cook and expand. Use your own judgment, depending on how thick you want the finished soup to be. I've seen recipes that call for chicken or beef broth, rather than plain water, but I've never used them. I figure with all of the vegetables I'm putting into my soup, I want to taste them, not the broth from animal parts.

So that's what I've been doing this afternoon-- stirring that big pot of lentil soup. As I said, I don't know how to make a small batch of this soup. My husband says he will taste it, but I don't think he's going to be tasting much more than a spoon or two. So guess what I will be eating for the next 17 days?