Black Beluga Lentil Soup

1 cup black beluga lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
2 cups of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped
spices and vinegar to taste

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Ladle into bowls, and serve. I topped it with fresh chopped tomatoes.

Serves 3 to 4.

This recipe comes from 101 cookbooks here. That recipe calls for a saffron infused yogurt which I really want to try but didn't have saffron on hand. Next time I'll try it and update this post. This recipe is sort of a base soup recipe. It needs to have spice added to it to jazz it up. I added paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and my favorite: smoked salt. I also added a dash or two of vinegar. This is great with bread or a small sandwich.

Lentil and Sausage Soup

1 cup dried lentils
6 cups chicken broth (or half broth / half water)
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped celery
4 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf

8 oz smoked sausage
salt and pepper to taste
hot pepper sauce (optional)

Put everything but the sausage in a large pot or dutch oven. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.
While that is simmering, slice in half lengthwise and chop into 1/2 inch pieces if sausage is pre-cooked. If sausage in uncooked, fry in separate pan over medium, breaking into small chunks while you cook.
After 45 minutes, add to soup and simmer another 10 minutes.


I can't believe it's March and still snowing in Seattle! This soup more than hit the spot. In fact, I think I've found a new favorite! I used chicken andouille sausage and crumbled it up while I cooked it so I'd get little morsels in every bite! At the end I used a tsp of smoked salt that I picked up a while back and that gave it just the right amount of smokey flavor. The sausage was spicy enough that I didn't have to add any hot sauce. The original recipe called for more water and to simmer uncovered but its already humid here so I covered it up and used less water/stock. Wow. This one's a keeper!

Adopted from "The Dutch Oven Cookbook" by Sharon Kramis and Julie Kramis Hearne