Lentil Soup

“Lentils are friendly – the Miss Congeniality of the bean world.  They take well to almost anything.  But let us start from scratch.  The most minimal lentil soup calls for a coup of lentils;; a quart of water or stock of any kind; one slice carrot; one or two cloves of garlic, minced; one small diced onion; and there you are.  The next step is to add to this one potato, diced up… one rib of celery, one bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, another clove of garlic, and you have a more varied potage that is actually a vegetable soup with lentils.  Going one step further, string beans and lentil soup seem to call out to each other.  You can add this to your vegetable soup with lentils or simply make lentil and string bean soup with garlic and onions.  A tablespoon of tomato paste goes well with any of these combinations.” 

-       Laurie Colwin

(More Home Cooking, A Writer Returns to the Kitchen,

  Harper Collins, 1993)