On Sunday, when the winds were blowing in winter's cold air, I decided to make big pot of veggie soup, one of my favorite winter meals. I wanted to make a bean soup, but was out of beans, so opted for what I had on hand: French green lentils. I wanted to make Lentil Minestrone again from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, but with a twist. It turned out to be one of my favorite soups I've ever made and was quite different from the first go-round. Here is what I came up with:
Lentil and Farro Veggie Soup (vegan)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2.5 cups chopped onions
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2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped parsley
5 large garlic cloves, minced
5 medium carrots, diced
1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
2 teaspoons dulse flakes or to taste (or 1 teaspoon salt or to taste)
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1 cup French green lentils, sorted & rinsed
2 bay leaves
8 parsley branches
6 lemon thyme sprigs
9 cups vegetable broth
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4 to 6 cups greens (cabbage, spinach, chard or kale) roughly chopped
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1 cups uncooked farro (or brown rice, pasta, or barley)
2 cups vegetable broth or water
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Tofutti sour cream
Harrissa
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Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in large soup pot and saute onion over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned - about 10 minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste, parsley, garlic, carrots, celery and dulse or salt and cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add the lentils, bay leaves, parsley branches and thyme sprigs and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
5. While soup is cooking, cook the farro in 2 cups veggie broth for about 30 minutes. If you want the farro to be a bit chewy, check it periodically and cook to the doneness you like. Drain farro, when done, if all liquid is not absorbed. The cooked farro will be added to the soup after the soup has finished cooking.
4. After 30 minutes, taste soup for salt and season with pepper, if desired. Remove the bay leaf, parsley branches and thyme springs. Set aside.
5. Stir fry greens with a little oil and tamari sauce until barely wilted.
6. Add the farro and greens to the soup and mix in.
7. Adjust seasonings.
Notes:
1. I used the dulse flake instead of salt. It gives it a little extra flavor and nutritional value.
2. Use fresh herbs if possible; it makes a big difference in the flavor. I tied the parsley branches and thyme sprigs together to make a "bouquet" - making them much easier to retrieve at the end of cooking.
3. French lentils (on the left, above) hold their shape more than the brown lentils, which can easily be overcooked and turn to mush. French lentils are harder to find, but are worth it. Bob's Red Milloffers them and I've seen them at Whole Foods, and various health and specialty food stores.
4. I've had some farro around for several months and decided to use it in this soup. Above, you see it cooked and uncooked. I'd never had farro before, but like the fact that it holds it's shape better than some grains, has very little gluten in it and cooks up quickly. It has a nice texture and is chewy.
5. I used Chinese cabbage instead of other greens since it's what I had in the fridge. But, next time I'd rather use some darker greens - one of the others listed.
6. When serving, I add a dollop of Tofutti brand vegan sour cream and a little harrissa if desired, though I think I prefer unadorned.
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