Yesterday I was struck with a sudden craving for soup.  I had originally planned to make a frittata for dinner, but then I forgot to make a milk run on Wednesday, and Thursday morning breakfast became scrambled eggs and toast, so eggs twice in one day would have been a bit much.  Then I decided to just make Honey-Pecan Crusted Chicken, since Abigail had requested crispy chicken.  While perusing a bulletin board, I saw a mention of Mark Bittman and a bean soup, and well, I just had to make one.  I pulled out my How To Cook Everything Vegetarian and started flipping through.  The black bean soup just didn’t call to me, I’m afraid.  But the very next recipe, for Classic Lentil Soup called my name in capital letters.  I was making this soup.

It’s a pretty straightforward soup, but there is one noticeable difference from other soups I’ve made.  While the bulk of the soup is cooking in one pot together, the onions and garlic cook together separately in a saute pan.  This was interesting.  I also decided to go for the alternative Italian variation, and while I was out at the garden snipping some herbs, I decided to pull a leek as well and add that to the onion mixture.  Imagine this- in one pot, lentils, herbs and veggies bubbling away, filling the room with a wonderful aroma.  And in the saute pan next to it, onions, garlic, garden-fresh tomatoes, and a leek simmer and meld together.  It was heaven, I tell you!  To further gild the lily, at the last minute, I decided to add about 1/2 teaspoon of dried tarragon to my tomato-and-onion mixture.   The second that tarragon hit the simmering vegetables, I knew I’d made the right decision.  After dumping that into the soup pot, I gave the whole thing an extra 20 minutes or so to fully combine before dishing myself a big, beautiful bowl of soup.  I topped it with Parmesan Cheese and succumbed to soup satisfaction.

Completely satisfying, this soup took care of my craving and also provided a few days worth of leftovers for my lunches.  For being such a quick and basic soup it was delightful and hearty.   The Italian variation is fantastic, and I will be recalling this soup next year when the tarragon is taking over the garden.  Furthermore, this is a perfect soup to use those garden treasures! I used celery, herbs, tomatoes and a leek from the garden, which surprisingly, is still looking well and producing for me. I wasn’t in the mood to dig up carrots, or I could have used those as well. I think you could easily feel free to add just about any veggie you have lying around to this soup, and found myself wishing I had a few mushrooms to sweat with the onions.

Classic Lentil Soup

from Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything Vegetarian

1 cup dried lentils, washed and picked over

1 bay leaf

Several sprigs fresh thyme or a few pinches dried

1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2 inch dice

6 cups vegetable stock or water, plus more as needed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1.  Put the lentils, bay leaf, thyme, carrot, celery, and stock in a deep skillet or medium saucepan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring, until if softens, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and stir, then cook for 1 minute more and turn off the heat.

3. When the lentils are tender, fish out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and stir the onion mixture into the soup. (The soup may be made ahead up to this point, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 2 days.  Reheat gently.)  Add more stock if the soup is too thick, then taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Italian-Style Lentil Soup with Rice Variation:  Increase the amount of stock to 2 quarts.  Prepare the soup through step one and start cooking the onions and garlic in step 2.  After the lentils have been cooking for about 15 minutes, stir in 1/2 cup short-grain rice, preferably Arborio.  Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine) to the pan with the onion.  Pass freshly grated Parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil for drizzling at the table.