It’s gotten downright chilly of late, here in South Texas – and so I am fixing one of my very favorite winter soups for supper tonight. The recipe came originally from a vegetarian cookbook that I had when we lived in Greece – Mava Atlas’ Vegetariana. But the soup is absolutely scrumptious – and sometimes I have given gift baskets packed with all the premeasured ingredients and a fancy printed recipe. Try it out – it’s so good!
Winter Lentil & Brown Rice Soup
Combine in a large pot:
1/2 Cup dried lentils, washed and picked over
1/3-1/2 Cup brown rice
2 TBSp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSp soy sauce
2 Bay leaves
3 Cups water, or which is much better, 3 Cups vegetable broth
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 7 to 10 minutes. Then add:
2 additional cups water or broth
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
Handful of finely chopped celery leaves
1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes with liquid (Or Rotel tomatoes with chili peppers)
1/2 Cup tomato sauce or tomato juice
1/4 cup dry red wine or sherry
1 Teasp dried basil
1 Teasp paprika
1/2 Teasp dried marjoram
1/2 Teasp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and simmer for half an hour or so, until lentils and rice are done.
It is especially splendid when made with the Ro-Tel tomatoes & chilis, and a rich home-made vegetable broth…. plus you can take the onus of being vegetarian off it by adding about half a pound of kielbasa or other smoked sausage, sliced into rounds, towards the end of the cooking time, and serving it with a little grated cheddar cheese on top.
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