Lentil Soup

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Lentils are an edible legume, historically eaten in Mediterranian cultures, and later spreading to India and throughout Europe. A lentil soup recipe can be found in De Re Coquinaria, a Latin cookbook thought to be compiled around the end of the Roman Empire in the West, perhaps suggesting that lentil soups have been eaten for millenia.

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This recipe uses red lentils, which are supposed to be best for soups. They get sort of mushy as they cook, thickening up the soup. Goes well in bread bowls.

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Ingredients

3/2 cup red lentils (rinsed and drained)
1 cup diced meat (pancetta, bacon, sausage)
14.5 oz crushed tomatoes
1 yellow onion (diced)
1 shallot (diced) (optional)
1 jalapeño/serrano pepper (minced)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 tbs tomato paste
6 cups chicken broth (low salt preferred)
1 tsp cumin (ground)
1/2 tsp corriander seeds (ground)
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper (ground)
corriander leaves (fresh)

Instructions

Cook the meat in a large pot over medium heat, until crisp and the fat has been rendered. (~10 min)
Add the onion, shallot, and diced pepper, add salt, and sweat them till soft and translucent. (~5 min)
Add the garlic and cook briefly until fragrant. (1 min)
Add the tomato paste, cumin, and ground corriander, and cook while stirring. (1-2 min)
Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, lentils, and a pinch of salt, stir and boil briefly. (2-3 min)
Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until lentils are tender. (~20 min)
Uncover pot, and cook while stirring, breaking down the lentils to thicken the soup. (10-15 min)
Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve in bowl dishes, or bread bowls. Top with corriander leaves.

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