Smoky Lentil Soup,
YumInstructions
Soak lentils — overnight if able.Place saffron in 00.25 c cold water. Pin a bay leaf to each onion half using a whole clove.
Rinse lentils. Put them in a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot and add 8 c water. Add the onion piques to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, add a large pinch of salt, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook with lid ajar for about 30 minutes, until soft. Turn off heat.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil, and cook the potato slices until just done, about 10 minutes, then drain and spread out on a baking sheet to cool.
Put 3 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is wavy, add leeks and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let leeks cook briskly, stirring frequently until soft but still bright green, about 5 to 8 minutes. Turn heat to medium, stir in chopped garlic, thyme, pimentón and cayenne.
Add saffron and soaking water, the chopped tomato and vinegar. Turn heat to high and let everything simmer for a few minutes. Pour contents of skillet into Dutch oven with lentils. Add the reserved potatoes.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook covered with lid ajar for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cook for 10 more minutes. The lentils will be quite soft and the potatoes will start to break. Discard onion and thyme sprig.
Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and chopped parsley, if you wish.
Ingredients
- 01.5 || 12 oz cups small lentils (Pardina/Puy), or any size green/brown lentil
- 01 onion (medium), halved
- 02 bay leaves
- 02 cloves, whole
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 05 potatoes (medium), peeled and sliced 00.75 in thick
- 03 T extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 02 leeks (medium), white and tender green parts, chopped in 00.5 in pieces
- 01 t garlic, chopped
- 01 spring thyme || rosemary (large)
- 02 T pimentón dulce or smoked sweet paprika
- 0.125 t cayenne (ground) or to taste
- 12 strands saffron, soaked in ¼ cup cold water
- 01 c tomato, canned and diced
- 02 T sherry vinegar
- Chopped parsley
Notes
Soak the lentils overnight. And mise en place! —To move swiftly through the steps so that the lentils don't burst from cooking for too long on too high heat. Reduce simmer to as low as possible.
Why three pots? User note: Good flavor combinations, but seriously, 3 different pots? This needs exactly one pot. Cook onions, add potatoes and lentils, and other ingredients, and done.
Less water? User note: Did all in one pot. Added six carrots, one yellow pepper. Used a little less than two tablespoons of Smoked paprika (two not quite full spoons). Used can of roasted tomatoes. Used coconut vinegar instead of sherry vinegar. Used dried thyme. Used Aleppo pepper instead of cayenne. Started with 1/8 teaspoon and ended up sprinkling more. Two cloves of garlic. Started with leaks. Added garlic. Then carrots. Then can of tomatoes. Then potatoes. Then lentils. Instead of 8 cups of water, I used 4.
