No.48 Traditional Lentil soup

Lentil soup is my go to meal and if I could I would eat this every week. There is just something so simple and satisfying about it. Making it this way means you take 5 minutes after work to put everything in the  pot and can then put your feet up.

Two points of notes here is the smoked bacon and the blending. The bacon needs to be smoked to add flavour to what can be a bland soup. Alternatively, smoked ham hock works well too. In regard to the hand blending keep blending for 30 seconds once you think the soup is smooth to get the right texture.

Time: 45-60 minutes Serves: 3-4

250g of carrots peeled

200g of red lentils (about one cup)

800g of chicken/pork/vegetable stock

40g of Bacon Smoked

Half a onion

Black Pepper to taste

1. Start by rinsing the lentils and draining though a sieve. Add to your soup pot.
2. Dice the carrots and add to the pot with the bacon. Add the stock.
3. Simmer covered for 40-60 minutes. Check every 15 minutes if more water is needed.
4. At 40 minutes the lentils should be cooked but leaving for 60 minutes delivers a smoother final texture. Blend with a hand blender until smooth. Add pepper to taste.