Kyle’s Kitchen
Iknow what you’ve all been wondering: “What am I going to make when the first cold front comes through?” I’ve been wondering too. It seems most Texans make chili first. I remember one cold front in Houston when I went to HEB to get hamburger meat for chili. They were out of both meat and chili seasoning, so I had to make something else. I’ve saved a few that sound good just in case you want to eat something besides chili when it gets cool.
This first one doesn’t have any meat, but you could certainly add some. It calls for French green Puy lentils which probably aren’t available around here, but they are delicious and hold up better than the regular ones.
Ina’s Lentil Vegetable Soup 1 pound French green lentils 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions) 4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks) 1 tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves) 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top 1 tbsp kosher salt 1-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried 1 tsp ground cumin 3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks) 3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots) 3 quarts chicken stock 1/4 cup tomato paste 2 tbsp red wine or red wine vinegar Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.
In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan. —kwc— I do love a good split pea soup, especially when I have a ham bone to use.
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup 1 lb. dried split green peas 1/2 onion, chopped 3 carrots, peeled and sliced 2 pieces of celery, sliced 2 cloves garlic, chopped 8 oz. cubed ham 1 qt. chicken stock 4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 sprigs parsley, plus more chopped for serving 1 bay leaf Salt and pepper, to taste Place the split peas in a colander. Rinse them well and pick through for any tiny pebbles or debris.
In the base of a slow-cooker, combine the peas, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ham, chicken stock and 1-1/2 cups of water. Tie the sprigs of thyme, parsley and the bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine, wrapped around the bundle a couple times, then add to the slow-cooker.
Cover and cook on high heat for 4-5 hours, or low heat for 8-10 hours, until the peas are tender and have split to thicken the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with chopped parsley. —kwc— Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup 1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips 1 large onion, chopped 3 pounds baking potatoes (about 6), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 4-1/2 cups water 1 teaspoon kosher salt 6 ounces cheddar, grated (about 1-1/2 cups) 1/4 cup chopped chives or scallion tops, for serving In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat; if you don’t have 2 tablespoons, add enough cooking oil to make up the amount. Reduce the heat to moderately low.
Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the potatoes, water, and salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove half the soup from the pan and puree in a food processor. Alternatively, mash some of the potatoes with a potato masher.
Return the puree to the pan. Over low heat, add the cheese and stir until melted. Remove the pan from the heat. Taste the soup and add more salt if needed.
Serve the soup topped with the bacon and chives.
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