Lentil, Tomato, Kale and Collards

Apparently (according to @midnight, at least), February 4 is "National Homemade Soup Day." HOW AM I JUST FINDING OUT ABOUT THIS? They even played a "Ruin a Soup" hashtag war, but luckily I didn't quite ruin this one (nor did I make "French bunion soup).

This week, all the soup is brown and the sky is grey. I’m California Dreamin’, a.k.a. need to plan some light and bright vegetable soups to get me out of this legume vortex! 

I guess it's better than a polar vortex!

I invited some friends over with the oh-so-enticing offer of a “normal” soup – and I must say this soup is quite normal. Aim high, amirite? It’s all about expectations. I clearly set expectations with my friends, but in my heart I was still seeing “lentil soup with TOMATO and KALE” instead of “LENTIL soup…ehhhh with maybe some tomato and kale I suppose.”

With all the lovely vegetation going into this pot – fennel, carrot and shallot in addition to the aforementioned T & K – my mind was set on something a bit less homogeneous. This is almost a lentil chili: a thick and hearty, homey, rustic comfort food.

  

When I started to see and taste how it was coming together, I added twice the called-for amount of tomatoes, and threw in half a bunch of coarsely chopped collards in addition to the whole bunch of kale. And still, the lentils remained relent(il)less.

But hey! Lentils are good. And they provided an excuse to get together with a few of my dearest friends and gab like gals about work, life, comedy, scales and bread.

REALLY GOOD BREAD

We also spent a good half hour (probably more) coming up with food puns based on celebrity names, so rest assured that Soupruary continues to make the world a better place, one Butterknife Cucumberbatch at a time. (Thanks for that, Julie.)

My friend Julie (different Julie, Texas Julie) had the idea to make a lentil/tomato/kale soup, and so I was all JACKPOT! when I saw this recipe in one of my new books. As an added bonus, this was the very book that so underwhelmed me on Monday, and has been sitting on my coffee table since begging me for a chance at redemption. And I love giving second chances (and/or I’m a glutton for souPunishment).

My conclusion is that this author and I just don’t share the same taste in soups. But hey, he’s got a ton of salad recipes in there that look great! Maybe I’ll stick to those in the future.

This lentil chili was actually tasty, so don’t let me get too down on it. It just somehow turned into less than the sum of his parts, where my favorite soups (like yesterday's) are the opposite.

Texas Julie, don't lose heart. I shall try again, and I shall succeed. 

So it shall be written. So it shall be done.

 Alright, enough. (Len)Til next time…And since the recipe is so very normal, I’ll leave you with a few more moments of brilliance:

“Channing Tatertot” (Kelly)

“Chia Farro in Rosemary's Bayleaf, directed by Romaine Polhamski.” (Julie)

Lentil, Tomato, Kale and Collard Soup

Serves 6 as a meal

Barely adapted from A Good Food Day by Marco Canora

For lentils:

2 cups lentils

1/2 small yellow onion, peeled

1 stalk of celery, halved

1 small carrot, halved

1 head of garlic, outer layers peeled and top 1/4" cut off

1 bay leaf

For soup:

3 medium shallots, coarsely chopped

2 small carrots, coarsely chopped

1 small head fennel, coarsely chopped

2 peperoncini, stems removed

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes

1 bunch Tuscan kale, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped

1/2 bunch collard greens, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

As garnish:

shaved parmigiano reggiano 

extra virgin olive oil

fresh thyme leaves

Make the lentils:

Put all lentil ingredients in a pot and cover by two inches of water. Throw in a few pinches of salt, and throw the lentils on the stove over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and let the lentils simmer until tender (about 40 minutes). Discard onion, celery, carrot, garlic and bay leaf. Remove 1 cup of lentils and blend until smooth, then return to pot and leave lentils in cooking liquid.

Make the soup:

Put shallot, carrot, fennel, peperoncini, rosemary and thyme in a food processor and pulse until minced. 

Pour olive oil into pot or large pan, and heat over medium-high. Add minced ingredients from food processor and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add a good pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Add in tomato paste, stir to combine, and cook another 10 minutes.

Add in whole peeled tomatoes, kale and collard greens, and turn heat down to medium. Cook, breaking the whole tomatoes up with a spoon, another 10 minutes, stirring occassionally. 

Add vegetables to pot of lentils, stir to combine, and add an additional two cups of water. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in sherry vinegar.

To serve, dish into bowls and top with shaved parm, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of fresh thyme.