I can say with certainty that I’ve never gotten jazzed about eating lentil soup ever in my life. Lentil soup has always been, for me, a means to an end. More fiber in my diet. Using up cupboard ingredients. A pat on the back for a healthy dinner eaten.
That is, until I met Vivian Howard’s lentil soup. Do you know who Vivian Howard is? She has a completely lovable show on PBS called A Chef’s Life, which follows her around as she cooks at her restaurant Chef and the Farmer, writes a cookbook, explores the ingredients of Eastern North Carolina, mothers twin kindergarteners and chats with her small town’s residents (more Miss Lilly, please!). If you haven’t seen it, you’re really missing out.
Anyway, I purchased Vivian’s cookbook Deep Run Roots a few months ago and, unsurprisingly, I had not gotten around to making anything out of it until recently. At that point the liquid diet had put a big damper on my culinary hopes and dreams and I began rummaging around my books for something that looked worth eating. High in fiber, I figured at least this would be a soup that was good, for lentils– and given the circumstances, I’d be okay with that.
But it wasn’t just good, for lentils. It was good, for soup. Good, for food, even! I found myself looking forward to dinnertime when I could get my little baby spoon into a bowl full of this stuff (pureed, albeit). It is, by all accounts, a fantastic recipe for even the most resistant lentil eater. It is a magic winter elixir.
The bacon topping (and fat that the aromatics cook in) is probably responsible for some of this soup’s magical qualities. But it’s not the only secret ingredient. There’s some fresh ginger. Apple chunks. Cumin. Apple cider. I realize this combination of ingredients sounds a little odd, but it somehow totally works and creates the least boring, most unexpectedly delicious lentil soup I ever did get my hands on. And I have a sneaking suspicion it’s even better when it’s not pureed!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 8 oz. sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 cloves minced garlic (2 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 15 turns of the pepper mill or scant 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup green lentils
- 5 cups chicken stock or water
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 cups 1/2-inch-diced Granny Smith apples
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon minced rosemary
- 1/2 cup creme fraiche or buttermilk, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil over medium-heat in a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan. Add the bacon and cook until it's almost crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and pour off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat.
- Lower the heat slightly and add the leeks, celery, carrots, ginger and garlic. Sweat for 10 minutes. Stir in the cumin and black pepper. Cook for 30 seconds more, until you can smell the spices. Add the lentils, stock and cider. Bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the apples, salt and rosemary and cook an additional 3 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning. If you used homemade chicken stock or water, you may need to add up to 1 teaspoon salt. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add more liquid.
- Serve warm in bowls with a dollop of creme fraiche or buttermilk and a sprinkle of reserved bacon.
Notes
From Deep Run Roots
