Monday, August 15, 2016

My Vegetable Soup, Always Perfect and Easy to Make


Above you can see my second giant bowl of vegetable soup,lentil to be exact. Yesterday was a traditional Jewish fast day, Tisha B'Av. After twenty-five hours without eating or drinking, it's really important to have something nourishing and easy to digest. For me that's Vegetable Soup. It doesn't matter which vegetables I include or the exact quantities, it always tastes good. That's one of the beauties of Vegetable Soup.

Years ago, I made it richer and heartier with carbohydrates like barley, wheat and rice. But as the house emptied and my weight increased, I found it necessary to tweak the recipe a bit. This is what I made:

Ingredients:
brown lentils
onion
carrots
squash
garlic
oil
salt, pepper and some parsley flakes
lots of water- I add boiling water to cut down on cooking time.

Instructions:

  • check the lentils for rocks, bugs etc
  • pour boiling water over it, to cover plus, and cover pot
  • leave for at least half an hour
  • add the onions, squash, carrots, garlic and oil (better less than more)
  • add more boiling water, at least a few inches higher than the veggies
  • cook on high flame until boiling, then simmer on low flame for between 40-60 minutes
  • towards the end of cooking time add the salt, pepper and parsley
  • always cook in covered pot
  • turn off flame and leave in pot for at least 15 minutes before serving

Variations:

  • replace carrots with mushrooms, or just add mushrooms to the classic recipe
  • ditto with cauliflower, but since the cauliflower cooks more quickly, add later during the cooking
  • substitute barley or peas for the lentils
Let me know how you've made the soup. Thanks.

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