Chorizo and Lentil Soup

Bummer! I made this soup for the crowd watching the Bruins game last night, and I like to think that it assuaged just a little bit of the heartbreak of losing Game Seven in overtime. That’s the thing about soups… they always come in handy one way or another. And don’t worry, hearty hockey fans, there’s always the French Open to look forward to!

This is so easy to make and terribly delicious. I got the idea from Barefoot’s Lentil Sausage Soup in her Barefoot in Paris book. But I turned the volume up, as she says, both in quantity and flavors. More garlic, more cumin, and spicy chorizo sausage instead of kielbasa (no offense to Poland). I also added my secret ingredient, honey, to round out the spiciness of the chorizo and cumin.

Start with your lentils. Put them in a large bowl and pour boiling water to cover them completely. Let them soak for 15 minutes and then drain them. In a large pot, melt the butter over a medium heat and add the onions, leeks, garlic, kosher salt, cumin, and thyme. Stir to mix and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add your carrots and celery and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, drained lentils and honey and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to lowest of the low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until the lentils are tender.

Slice up your chorizo and add it to the soup. Taste and add more salt as needed. When the chorizo is hot, serve the soup topped with chopped chives.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound 8 ounces of French green lentils
• 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 4 onions, peeled and diced
• 2 leeks, diced and rinsed (those things are super sandy)
• 1 entire bulb of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons of kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 tablespoons freshly minced thyme
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 quarts of chicken stock
• 6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 pound precooked chorizo, sliced into rounds
• Black pepper
• Chives

Serves 10-12