Savory Lentil Soup

I went to Sunflower market today to get some ingredients for a Moraccan quinoa salad I want to make, however I realized while I was there....close to food...that I was sooooo hungry.  Instead of buying everything in the store, I went and bought a lentil soup from the hot soup counter.  It was delicious, so I bought french green lentils and decided to make my own lentil soup.  I have tried before, but haven't really enjoyed them.  I am too stinking picky. However, I kept playing with this until I loved it.  I like using the french greens because they are less earthy tasting...(I must have eaten too much dirt as a girl.) I didn't take any pictures, because lentil soup is unphotogenic.  Seriously it is.  But here is what I worked with, based off a recipe from the Sunflower recipe site.  Enjoy!!

Savory Lentil Soup

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2  onion chopped very fine

1/3 cup prosciutto, shredded or shredded pancetta or unsmoked country ham

2 carrots chopped fine

2 stalks celery chopped fine

1 cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice

8 oz Lentils, dry

 5 oz barley

5 cups canned beef broth, homemade beef broth

1 can v8

1 dash salt to taste

(some suggested spices I used, but you may or may not depending on your tastes;    ½ tsp curry powder, dashes of cumin, oregano, basil, marjoram)

1 dash Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

4252521Preparation

Put 2 tablespoons of the butter and all the oil in a soup pot, add the chopped onion and the pancetta, and turn on the heat to medium high. Do not cover the pot. Cook the onion, stirring it, until it becomes a deep gold.

Add the chopped carrot and celery. Cook at lively heat for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomatoes with their juice, and adjust the heat so that they bubble gently, but steadily. Cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, wash the lentils and barley in cold water and drain them. Add the lentils and barley to the pot, stirring thoroughly to coat them well, then add the broth, a pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper and other spices. Cover the pot, adjust the heat so that the soup cooks at a steady, gentle simmer, and stir from time to time. Generally, it will take about 45 minutes for the lentils to become tender, but each lot of lentils varies, so it is necessary to monitor their progress by tasting them. Some lentils will absorb more liquid than others. If necessary, add more broth while cooking or, if you are not using homemade broth, add water.

When the lentils are done, before turning off the heat, add the remaining tbsp of butter and swirl in the grated Parmesan. Taste and correct for salt and pepper. Serve with additional grated Parmesan for the table.