Smoked Lentil Soup

“Is that how you eat everyday?”

This was the question posed to me a few days ago at a picnic. I had never met Renee before but she had seen the blog and based off of the last few posts had understandably gotten the impression that we eat duo of lamb with garden scapes, homemade fennel ice cream with sugared puff pastry and beet pasta linguine on a day-to-day basis.

It was a fun exchange and I assured her that until we won the lottery and hired a personal chef, that that was not how we rolled (I hoped I used ‘rolled’ in the correct context. I recently caught an episode of Entourage and now I feel inspired to spice up my vernacular.)

But Renee’s question did get me to thinking that there weren’t that many ‘everyday’ foods on these pages. I mean, man can not live by foie gras alone (well, unless he has a huge stash of Lipitor). So, today I’m sharing one of my favorite ‘go to’ dishes: Smoked Lentil Soup.

This is no dainty watercress soup…this soup is filling. It’s a meal. The kind of soup you can serve as a stand alone meal. It’s almost a stew. And better yet, it’s so easy to make.

If you’re from the South, pairing smoked meats and beans is not a new concept. As a former Alabama boy, I’ve had my share. And usually the smoked meat comes in the form of pork (such as hammocks).

This soup is an offshoot of this classic Southern pairing…with a few twists. Instead of having it as a side, I like to enjoy it as a soup – I find it more filling. And secondly, as a man knocking on the door of 40 years old, I am a little more conscience of what I eat and turkey seems like a more “gut friendly” option than pork.

The beauty of this soup is really in the smoky flavor that is imparted by the meat. It’s not a delicate flavor profile: the meat is hearty and the lentils are earthy. But that’s the whole point…as I mentioned before, this soup is a meal – a comforting meal.

So, go ahead and find that book you’ve meaning to read, serve yourself a bowl of Smoked Lentil Soup, pour a nice glass of red wine and enjoy your “me time.”

Leave the rest of the soup of the stove. The family can fend for themselves.

SMOKED LENTIL SOUP

Have it you way: Play around with the some of the ingredients to suit your own taste. Don’t like parsley? Then toss in some chives. Want to the soup to be a bit more creamy? Then add a little more cream. Counting calories? Then reduce or omit the cream all together.

1 whole smoked turkey wing (or two smoked hammocks)

5 cups chicken stock (low sodium, if using canned)

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried oregano

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup carrot, chopped

½ cup chopped onion, plus ¼ minced onion

1½ cup lentils

3 cups water

Salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste

4 tbl Heavy Cream (optional)

2 tbl fresh parsley, chopped

Put the smoked meat, chicken stock, bay leaf and oregano in a medium sized sauce pan and simmer for 30 minutes with lid on. Remove smoked meat from pot and with a fork pick pieces of meat off of the bone. Diuscard the bones and skin. Return the meat to the pot and add the carrot, chopped onion, lentils and water. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes (until the lentils are soft and have just started to pop open). Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves.

Salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick, stir in warm water.

Stir in heavy cream, parsley and minced onions.

Serves 6-8

Tagged as: Beans, fall, Lentils, Smoked Meat, Turkey