Potage of Lentils

This soup is YUMMY!  The lemon juice in it gives a hint of springtime flavor.  I adapted this recipe from 400 Soups by Anne Sheasby.  She says this soup is sometimes referred to as Esau's soup.  Esau was Issac's first born son in the Bible and thus entitled to Issac's possessions and land as his birthright.  The story goes that Esau went hunting and returned ravenous from the trip to find his younger brother Jacob making a pot of delicious smelling soup.  Esau trades his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of Jacob's soup.  I'm not sure this soup is worthy of trading in one's birthright, but it is darn-right yummy and filling.  The soup, like so many others, was even more yummy the next day for lunch.  I'm sending this over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sunday round-up.  Enjoy!

Potage of Lentils adapted from 400 Soups by Anne Sheasby

Ingredients:

3 Tbls. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 celery sticks, chopped

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 potato, peeled and diced

1 c. red lentils, rinsed

4 cups chicken stock 

2 bay leaves

1 large lemon, quartered

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Tabasco sauce, to finish

salt and pepper to taste

lemon slices and chopped parsely to finish

Directions:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped onion and saute until onion is slightly translucent.  Add the celery, garlic and the potato.  Cook for a few minutes until beginning to soften.

2.  Add the lentils and the stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.  Cook for about 30 minutes until the potato and lentils are tender.

3.  Add the bay leaves.  Squeeze 2 of the lemon quarters into the juice and drop them into the soup.  Cook the soup for an additional 10 minutes.

4.  Remove the bay leaves and the lemon quarters.  Squeeze the additional 2 lemon quarters into the soup.

5.  Puree in batches in the blender or use an immersion blender to blend soup until smooth.

6.  Add the cumin and stir through.  Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

7.  To serve:  ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and Tabasco.  Garnish with lemon slices and chopped parsley.  *Note*  Please don't give away your birthright while this is cooking!  :)