Lentil soup w/ Parmesan Cheese #recipe and #book #giveaway

From Avery aka Daryl

To promote my upcoming release of DAYS OF WINE AND ROQUEFORT, I'm doing a book giveaway today. See below for details!

I know the country has gone through an amazing winter so far, and there’s more COLD to come. Ugh. So sorry for all of you who might have suffered thus far.

When I lived in Connecticut and was facing shoveling snow and “lovely” (read: messy) slushy/cold/icy walks with my dogs, I wanted warm food. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Because soup is an iffy prospect for a celiac at a restaurant (most chefs use wheat flour in their roux), I rarely order soup out; therefore, I make it at home a lot. I have some good soup cookbooks. One of my favorites is from William and Sonoma. It has a great mushroom soup recipe in it. I also browse magazines for new soup recipes.

However, honestly, I can’t remember where I found this recipe for lentil soup. Sorry. My mind this month is a blank. I’ve been so overwrought with writing a book that’s due February 1st and doing PR for my two upcoming releases in February and March, not to mention having a new puppy in the house and constant houseguests since Thanksgiving, I’m simply blank when it comes to anything that is not essential.

I cooked it; we devoured it. I’m simply not sure where I got it.

But I’m going to share it anyway because, for those who know me, it’s been tweaked, which means it is not exactly like the recipe from which I must have borrowed. I certainly couldn’t have concocted this one on my own. LOL

LENTIL SOUP WITH PARMESAN

Ingredients: (serves 6) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 2 carrots, peeled and chopped (1/2 cup) 2 celery stalks, chopped (1/2 cup) 2 garlic cloves, chopped 2 teaspoons salt 10 grinds of a peppermill 1 ½ cups diced tomatoes (14 ½ ounce can) 1 pound lentils (about 1 ½ cups), uncooked 8 cups chicken broth (gluten-free for those who need it to be so) 2 teaspoons dried thyme 2/3 cup dried elbow pasta, uncooked (gluten-free for those who need it to be so) 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese Directions: In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Ad the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and sauté all until the vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes (with their juices). Simmer until the tomatoes evaporate a tad, about 5 minutes. Add the lentils and stir. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme and bring mixture to boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low-low heat until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is cooked, about 8 minutes. Ladle the soup into six bowls.  Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve hot. (Reheats great!) What's your favorite cold-weather meal?                                       * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Giveaway: Leave a comment with your email in order to enter the giveaway! REMEMBER TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL so I might notify you. AND if you tweet or share on Facebook, tell me in your  comment and you'll be entered TWICE.

I'm giving away your choice of one of the first four Cheese Shop mysteries or FINAL SENTENCE, the first in the Cookbook Nook mysteries. Plus some fun swag!

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Also…I and three of my blogmates, Meg, Sheila, and Lucy are offering a giveaway on Facebook with books and more, in anticipation of all of our releases the first week of February. The contest runs through January 31^st. Click the photo below to check it out.

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Lastly, remember to sign up for my mailing list/newsletter. 

There's going to be a launch giveaway on February 1!

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Next up: 

Days of Wine and Roquefort 
Feb 2014, preorder here

                    Inherit the Word 
                     March 2014, preorder here

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