[blindweightwatcher] Lentil Minestrone With Greens
- From: "Jan Bailey" <jb021951@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <blindweightwatcher@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2009 18:29:50 -0600
Lentil Minestrone With Greens
A number of greens work well in this hearty Italian dish. Chard and
turnip greens are growing in my garden, so those are ones I'm using
now, but I wouldn't hesitate to use kale, either.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with liquid
1 pound lentils (brown or beluga), washed and picked over
2 1/2 quarts water
A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, 2 sprigs each thyme and
parsley, and a Parmesan rind
1/2 pound Swiss chard, mustard greens or kale, stemmed, washed in two
changes of water, and roughly chopped (about 6 cups)
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup elbow macaroni or other soup pasta (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan for serving
1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat,
and add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring, until the onion is
tender, about 5 minutes. Add half the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Stir together for a minute, just until the garlic is fragrant, and
add the tomatoes and their liquid. Turn up the heat slightly and
cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell
fragrant, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the lentils, water and bouquet garni, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add the
remaining garlic, salt to taste and add the greens. Continue to
simmer, covered, for another 15 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper,
taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the pasta, and continue to simmer
until the pasta is tender, five to 10 minutes. Remove the bouquet
garni and serve, passing grated Parmesan at the table.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Advance preparation: The soup can be made up to a day or two ahead of
time, but do not add the pasta until you are ready to serve. Reheat
and add as directed.
A note about salt: From now on, I will indicate a preference for
kosher salt in my recipes. Because of its crystalline structure,
kosher salt is not as salty as fine sea salt.
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- » [blindweightwatcher] Lentil Minestrone With Greens - Jan Bailey