Mushroom and Lentil Soup
Serves 4-6
1 cup French lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 medium onions - quartered and sliced
1 small bunch celery - sliced
3-4 standard carrots (6-8 small) - halved and sliced into half-circles
3 cups mushrooms - we used cremini but most any will do - chopped thoroughly
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 quarts stock
fresh rosemary and thyme - leaves removed from stems and finely chopped
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
oil or butter
In a medium pot, heat two tablespoons oil or butter over moderate heat. Add onions with a pinch of salt and cook low and slow to caramelize, stirring and adding a splash of water as needed to prevent burning - this will take 15-20 minutes. When the onions are golden brown and beautiful, add garlic and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes.
Push the cooked onions towards the edge of the pan, clearing space in the center. Add another portion of butter or oil and add celery and carrots as well as another pinch of salt. Raise heat to medium-high and cook until just softened, just a few minutes. Push vegetables towards the edge of the pan again, clearing space in the center. Add half the mushrooms as well as a pinch of salt and cook to release moisture, about 3 minutes. Repeat clearing to add the remaining mushrooms and chopped herbs with a final pinch of salt. Cook until mushrooms have released a great deal of moisture and pan starts to dry.
Add stock and use a spatula to scrape bottom of pan to release any fond. Stir in lentils and bay leaves and bring to a simmer before reducing heat to low. Cook uncovered and stirring occasionally until lentils are tender and liquid is slightly reduced - about an hour. Taste for seasoning - add cracked black pepper and salt to taste.
Serve with fresh bread for best results.
Salt Pro Tip
Like many recipes, this one calls for seasoning as you go - adding a pinch of salt with each addition to the soup pot to ensure even seasoning throughout.
To control your salt intake, portion out salt ahead of time into a small bowl and pull from this as you cook. This is a great way to ensure you don’t over-salt as you learn to cook as well an monitor final sodium intake for health reasons.