Leek and Lentil Soup with Potatoes and Lemon @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I have a bean problem. I know we should be eating more beans and vegetables and less meat. So I signed up for the waiting list of the Rancho Gordo bean club. To members of this club, Rancho Gordo sends out a quarterly box of various specialty beans and usually an extra bonus like bay leaves or paprika. The club is very popular and hard to get into, so I figured I would have a wait. Therefore, I wasn’t too worried about using the proceeds. But then I was admitted – hooray! Except gulp, that means I receive a new box of dried beans every three months. This is what things look like in my bean drawer, and that is after I’d given away several packages for various birthday gifts. So I know I better get cracking! (Bean recipe suggestions welcome!)

Today’s recipe is a variation on good old-fashioned lentil soup. We happen to have some gorgeous leeks left in the garden, but if you don’t have that or prefer onions, feel free to substitute.

Ingredients

One cup brown Lentils

2 to 3 leeks, well washed.

Three stalks celery

Three carrots

Four or five small potatoes

1 to 3 cloves of garlic, depending on your audience

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

14 ounces chopped tomatoes

One box beef broth

1 teaspoon chili in adobo sauce or to taste

One lemon

Fresh parsley 

Wash the leeks well. Chop the leeks, carrots, celery, and potatoes and sauté them in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. While they cook, sort and wash the lentils. Add chopped garlic and saute for a moment with the smoked paprika and lentils. Add the broth and tomatoes, and simmer for about 45 minutes until everything is soft. (You may need to add a little water.)

Add up to a teaspoon of chilis in adobe sauce. (I would have added more but John thought it spicy enough.) Squeeze half a lemon over the soup, taste to see if it needs salt, and simmer a bit more.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with biscuits!

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including USA Today bestselling A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. You can order that wherever books are sold. If you’re all caught up, try Lucy’s first women’s fiction title, THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS.

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