Recipe from Alice Waters, In the Green Kitchen

Add a crusty bread, a favorite cheese, and a green salad for a complete meal.

Ingredients:

3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 carrots peeled and diced

½ onion peeled and diced

2 celery stalks diced

Kosher salt to taste

3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary (optional)

1 cup French green lentils (Any kind of lentil will do.)

*7-8 cups water or chicken stock

Pour the oil into a heavy-bottomed soup pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper and add the garlic and rosemary (optional). Add the lentils and stir while adding the water or stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, skimming any foam off the surface. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils are soft and fully cooked, 25 to 45 minutes.

*If using chicken stock, I would use half stock/half water. You don’t want the chicken flavor to overtake the soup. However, instead of stock, for flavor I add a piece of salt pork (about 6 ounces) or about 4 ounces of pancetta to the pot after the vegetables are sauteed. Let flavors meld for a minute or two before continuing for the full 45 minutes of cook time.

If using salt pork or pancetta, taste and add salt at the end of cooking. Remove the pork or pancetta before serving.

Leftovers: If the soup is too thick, add a little water to thin it out. Then adjust seasonings.

Notes: For a slightly different version, sizzle cumin seeds in olive oil and stir into the soup before serving.