Another very hazy memory from my youth centers on lentil soup. We had tons of dried beans and brown rice and various other not-likely-to-go-bad-for-years items as staples. They were inexpensive, and very good for you, so my mom stocked up. I don't remember much about the actual soup she made, however---I don't think she made it very often. I'm fairly certain my soup is quite different, but I'm happy with it in any case, and hope you'll enjoy it as well.
While the version I make is by no means vegetarian, simple substitution of your favourite vegetable stock and omission of the bacon could easily bend this recipe to your veggie will.
TIME REQUIRED: approximately 1 hour.
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 tbsp. olive oil
* 1/2 lb. bacon, chopped up into reasonably small pieces
* 3 stalks celery, chopped up into reasonably small pieces
* 3 medium-to-large carrots, chopped up into reasonably small pieces
* 1 large sweet onion, chopped up into reasonably small pieces
* 3 (or more, if you'd like) large cloves garlic, peeled and minced fine
* 2 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth, plus 2 14.5 oz. cans of water
* 1 c. plus a handful of brown (or green) dried lentils
* chilli powder and cumin (ground) to taste; start with 1 tbsp. of each and add more as necessary
* sprinkling of lemon or lime juice
* salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
PREPARATION
Heat a medium-to-large pot over medium/high heat, once pan is heated through, add olive oil and swirl around to coat the bottom of the pan. Add bacon and lid, checking and stirring occasionally. Once the bacon is cooked through but still soft, add garlic, onion, and carrots. Stir occasionally and keep lidded; continue cooking in this manner until all the vegetables are soft and the onions are transparent but not caramelised.
Add stock, water, and lentils. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Once it's reached a healthy boil, turn the heat down to simmer the soup, lid it, and ignore it for about 40-50 minutes.
At this point, the lentils should be quite soft, and the soup is very nearly ready. In fact, if you'd like, you could stop right here and eat a perfectly delicious soup. However, if you'd like to have a slightly creamier texture, strain about 1/3 to 1/2 of the solids out of the soup (use a slotted spoon or something similar) and puree in a blender or food processor. Add this back into the soup and stir; the consistency will be quite a bit nicer to eat.
Serves 4-6 as a main course, and reheats brilliantly. I'd have photos to go with this, except the last pot I made vanished too quickly for photos to be taken. Enjoy!