Lentil Soup with Chorizo and Bacon, comfort in a bowl
As a child, I thought lentil soup was okay. Just okay. In fact, I wasn’t a soup person, or a stew person. I didn’t like anything that had much broth in it. I much preferred dry rice dishes, like paella or arroz al horno, baked rice. And beans, in particular, weren’t my thing. I still remember my mom’s singsong, “Las lentejas tienen mucho hierro. Y fibra”, lentils have so much iron, and fiber. And her lentil soup with chorizo and bacon not only had a lot of fiber and iron, but was full of flavor.
It’s funny how things change. I don’t know if it has to do with age and maturity, or with the fact that I moved from a warm country to a very cold one, Canada. Moving to Indiana made things slightly better in terms of the weather —maybe spring starts a month earlier in Indiana, sometimes. Whatever the reason, I’ve grown to appreciate soups, stews, and the like. In fact, I love them. Come to think of it, my sons, particularly Matthew, love hearty soups and stews in the autumn and winter, so weather probably has something to do with one’s inclination towards them. Who doesn’t like a comforting bowl of hot steaming soup when it’s snowing outside?
We have many wonderful soups and stew dishes in Spain, many of which I’ll eventually share with you. And here in America, I have discovered many more. In fact, if you ask me what’s my favorite American dish, I’d say chili —in any of its forms and “colors”, the white, the green, the spicy, the spiciest. I love them all.
It’s not surprising, then, that on an autumn day like today, sunny but crisp, I would yearn for some of those homey stews. More a cross between a soup and a stew, lentil soup with chorizo and bacon is a hearty dish, a “spoon” dish, that can be eaten as a main course.
I’m sharing my mom’s recipe for lentil soup with chorizo and bacon, because it’s my favorite. You’ll need Spanish chorizo, that can now be found in some stores in the Midwest. The flavors that chorizo and bacon give the soup make it unnecessary to use broth or stock, and simply water and some spices suffice to achieve a tasty, slightly smokey, delightful flavor. Serve it with a salad on the side, and with slices of crunchy baguette. Mmm. My ultimate comfort food.
LENTIL SOUP WITH CHORIZO AND BACON
Lentejas con Chorizo y Bacon
Ingredients:
2 cups small brown lentils
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and pulled into 1 inch chunks
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped (optional)
1 tomato, peeled and finely chopped
4 slices bacon or pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch strips
3 ounces Spanish chorizo, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (or Spanish paprika)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cups water
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
In a wide platter, check the lentils for any small stones, and remove them. Then rinse the lentils in a colander under cold running water. In a stock pot, combine the lentils and the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (some varieties of lentils might take up to an hour to cook).
While the lentils are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a stock pot or heavy bottom casserole. Lower the heat to medium and sauté the onion until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes and sauté, 8 minutes. Add 2 Tbs of olive oil and the carrots and celery (if using) and sauté, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, 2 minutes. Add the tomato and mix, cooking on low heat and stirring occasionally for about 8-10 minutes.
In a skillet or small pan, sauté the bacon on medium heat until almost crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and add to the casserole containing the vegetables. Safely discard most of the bacon fat and add the chorizo pieces to the skillet. Cook on medium-low heat for about 3-4 minutes. Add the contents of the skillet to the casserole containing the vegetables and bacon.
When the lentils are tender, add them to the casserole containing the vegetables and meats (I usually pour part of the liquid, then use a ladle to pour the lentils, and continue to pour the liquid as needed or desired for the final soup thickness I want to achieve).
Add the cumin, bay leaf, and pimentón de la Vera, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix well and cook on low heat for another 15-20 minutes to blend the flavors (don’t let it cook so much that the lentils start to break).
Ladle onto soup bowls and serve hot.
