The first soup I was inspired to make after trips to Turkey where I thoroughly enjoyed various lentil soups. I bought lentils upon my return without having any clue how I would fix them. After some searching I ran across this posting from Mark Bittman where he shares the How to Cook Everything version of the soup and decided it looked like a wonderful place to start to explore lentil soup options. I have made the original recipe without any additions multiple times but I encourage you to look at the link since it covers different seasoning options to create seven different lentil soups. I have also used both chicken and beef broth in the recipe (depending on what I had available) and both work nicely. Brad loves to have this soup as a side to something hearty like grilled brats.
Lentil Soup**
(Cooking Time: 45 minutes, Serves 4)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, cut into 1/2 -inch dice
- 1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2 -inch dice
- 1 cup lentils, washed and picked over
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock or water
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt
Put the oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, just a minute or two. Add the carrot and celery and keep cooking and stirring until brightly colored and hot, about 2 minutes.
Add the lentils, bay leaf, and stock; sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. (At this point, you may cool and refrigerate the soup, covered, for up to 2 days; reheat gently.) Add more stock if the soup is too thick. Just before serving, taste, sprinkle with salt and more pepper if needed, and serve.
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The final soup recipe I took from the Raleigh News & Observer when they published a trio of buffalo chicken inspired recipes last Super Bowl season. In a later post you will get to read about our experience with another recipe from that article but this post is just about the soup recipe. At first glance the concept does seem somewhat off putting but as it turns out this is a really good soup. And since Brad currently has braces and cannot eat his adored buffalo wings in the classic manner this soup has been a wonderful way for him to get those flavors without risking damage to his braces. A couple of tips on this one: first the prepackaged shredded mozzarella does not melt well enough in this recipe and tends to create a clump of cheese. I found that grating a block of mozzarella melted much better. Also, the longer you simmer this recipe the less intense the heat, it gets mellow over time. I like heat so I use the higher recommended amount of wing sauce and use Texas Pete original buffalo wing sauce.
Buffalo Chicken Soup**
(Serves: 6 to 8)
- 1 to 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts and 2 to 3 boneless chicken thighs (or 3 to 4 cups chopped, cooked chicken and just use prepared chicken stock)
- 3 to 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 stalks celery, minced (about 1 cup)
- 1 small onion, peeled and minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce, or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, divided
Place the chicken and stock in a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes, until cooked through. Dice the chicken, discarding any fat or cartilage. Drain the broth. Set both aside.
Return the pot to the stove. Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, stir well and cook about 2 minutes, until just beginning to brown a little. Stir in the half-and-half and 3 cups chicken stock.
Stir in the chicken, wing sauce, mozzarella and 1/4 cup blue cheese. Reduce heat to low and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often to keep the cheese from sticking. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more wing sauce if needed. Serve hot, with a little blue cheese sprinkled on each serving.
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