Look to the lentil: Annalena makes lentil soup

It is that time of year where we would all normally be looking for comfort.  Let us face it, ragazzi, once November 1 comes around, it's a sprint to the end of the year - for ALL of us.  And in that sprint, how many of us feel "I'm not taking care of myself," or  "I'm not getting what I want." 

Are you looking around?  Lots of hands going up.  Well, Annalena hopes that this recipe is going to help fix that, at least a bit.

One of the ways we try to "take care of ourselves" is by spoiling ourselves, or reaching for what we feel is comfort food.  And, let us face it:  there are not many of us who equate celery sticks,  crispy apples, and low fat yogurt with comfort.  In fact, maybe there are NONE of us.  During trying times, we eat to feel good.  Annalena was struck by an article she read last week that said that many people were commenting on the weight they had gained during the recovery from Hurricane Sandy.  Reaching for cookies, french fries, and so forth, had much to do with it.

Annalena is proud to say that in fact, she and the Guyman LOST weight during that period.  It was the 12 flights of stairs, up and down, 5- 6 times a day, every day.  And the attempts to keep to routine. 

But that goes off track a bit.  Let's go back to comfort food, and think about it for a minute:  soup.  Is there anyone who does not feel cuddled, and in fact, HUGGED, by a bowl of good tasting, hot soup?   Annalena thinks not.  BUT... we do not often think of it when we reach for comfort food for a couple of reasons.  First, it is difficult to find GOOD soup when you buy it.  Soup prepared in huge 40 gallon portions, does not taste good, and it can't.  The stuff you make at home is going to be much better.  BUT... Annalena can hear you saying now  "it's so hard...  "  and  "it takes too much time.'

Well, no, it's not, and if you spent an hour playing online, you could have been making soup.  And enough for more than one meal.  And we're going to be making lentil soup today, adapted from one of Annalena's cookbooks from the wonderful "Greens" restaurant.  It is called Moroccan Lentil soup, although  Annalena does not know why.  Follow through this ragazzi, and make your own variations.  It is a VEGAN soup that is very low in fat, and very high in all that is good for you.

There is only one thing that you need to be careful of:  BUY GOOD LENTILS.  If you have made lentil soup before, and found it unsatisfactory, it was probably because you used those lentils you can buy in a bag for 69 cents. 

You get what you pay for.  Buy good lentils.  For this soup, Annalena recomments  brown lentils from Castellucio Italy . You can find them in any good Italian market.  They will set you back about 3.00 for a pound, which is enough to make about six quarts of soup.

You will need a cup of the dried ones for this. (Incidentally, you could use the red ones, "dhal", or the green ones  "lentils du Puy" here as well.  The red ones will give you a very soft soup, the green ones, a thin one with chewier lentils.  It is up to you.  ).  Measure them out, and put them aside whilst you prepare your vegetables and spices.

For vegetables, dice up a large onion.  You want about two cups.  Also, dice a couple of carrots, to get a cup, and a few stalks of celery.  If the celery is less than the amount of carrots, don't sweat it.    Put these aside, and measure out your spices.

Here, Annalena will tell  you what she used, but you can vary this.  You really can.  Annalena had a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a heaping half teaspoon of cumin and ground coriander, and a half teaspoon of tumeric.    You should have the pepper and cumin in your house.  If you don't, get some.  Annalena does not expect you to have the others.  You can use ginger, or curry powder, or anything you like, as long as it's fresh, and honest.

You will also need a cup of tomato product of some sort.   Annalena cut up a huge heirloom tomato that was giving her the stink eye.  Canned tomatoes , crushed, will work, as will tomato sauce.  And, finally, get some fresh ginger.

Ok, now we're ready to cook.  Put the lentils in a pot with six cups of water, and a teaspoon of salt. Start them cooking.  About twenty minutes. 

Next to them, put two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, with the onions, carrots and celery, together with a pinch of salt, and the cayenne pepper.  Start these cooking,  until the onion just begins to brown.  Now , add those spices, and stir, for about three minutes, to release the flavor of the spices.  You'll smell it.  And now add the tomato and a big tablespoon of fresh grated ginger, and cook again, for another five minutes.  Probably, the lentils and your vegetables, will finish up at the same time. 

Don't drain the lentils.  Rather, combine the water, the lentils, and those vegetables,  and then cook them, at low heat, for another half hour.  Chances are, your water levels will go down and you'll need to add more.  Indeed, Annalena added a full three additional cups over the course of cooking this.  Adjust the seasoning as you go.  As you add more water, you will need to add salt.  You may want to add more ginger.  But at the end, you will have nearly two quarts of delicious, healthy soup.

If you like, you can add things, like chopped up leftover chicken to this, or cooked greens (a combination Annalena heartily recommends), or anything you like. 

You will have been in the kitchen for an hour.  You will have enough soup for you and at least one friend, and  you WILL feel hugged.  And know what?  You don't have to feel bad or guilty about it. 

These days, we all need hugs, and no one needs to feel guilty about what they put in their mouths.  Be a bit empowered, ragazzi.  Annalena wants you all to make soup this week.