triticale - the wheat / rye guy

More Lentil Soup

THe other morning, my wee wifey called upstairs asking if I had a couple bottles of cheap beer. I knew she wasn't going to drink it. All she drinks is rum and she goes thru about a fifth per decade. I understood she had a recipe which called for beer, so I didn't need to explain that I don't drink enough of it to bother with cheap stuff so I just brought down two bottles of the less expensive variety currently in inventory. The results were worthy of the sacriifice.

1 pound lentils
1 bag frozen carrot slices -- defrosted
1 bunch celery -- sliced
2 medium onion -- diced
3 heaping eating teaspoons minced garlic
4 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried dill
1 pound kielbasa -- or smoked sausage sliced thin
24 ounces beer
4 Teaspoons beef boullion
4 cups water

Soak lentils overnight or cook 5 minutes in 8 cups boiling water and then let stand for 1 hour. Drain.

Saute celery carrots onion and garlic in olive oil in a heavy skillet. Combine lentils, vegetables and remaining ingredients in a stockpot. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 1 hour.

Makes a big pot, which I believe is a standard measure for soup production.

Variation: Substitute black beans for lentils & bacon or smoked ham for the kielbasa. Serve with a bit of sour cream and diced tomatoes. Yoou could of course add our traditional two tablespoons of sriracha, but it would overwhelm the flavor contribution of the beer.

The recipe was modified from one found in "Desperate Gourmet" by Lois Schenck. We got our copy at the library bookstore. If you can get your hands on a copy it will save a lot of googling, as it is based on the premise that you have a collection of ingredients and need to put them together into a great meal.

Update:

The Recipe Carnival is up now, at the Diabetic Recipes blog. I failed to note the theme, and simply posted a current recipe. One could substitute a light beer, but the previous lentil soup I posted would be a better idea. It should be noted that the sriracha chili sauce I often recommend contains sugar, and that when cooking for diabetics a small amount of ordinary hot sauce to taste would be an appropriate substitution.

My wee wifey learned that she is a Type II diabetic just after completing two years training as a pastry chef. She abandoned this career, since any cook needs to sample her work on a regular basis, but I haven't noticed that I've had to forego anything in the food she cooks for us. The fancy baked goods to be found in my Recipes category are made for major occasions only, and she does not allow herself more than a mere taste (which means more for the rest of us).