French lentil soup w tomatoes, grains, herbs and EVOO

vvvalentines

1/3 cup spelt (or other whole grain)
1/3 cup pearl barley (or other whole grain)
1/3 dark green lentils (may be called French lentils)
3 leeks, white portion only — or an onion or two–finely chopped or sliced into thin rounds.
2 carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 t. of fresh or dry thyme
1 head of garlic, all the cloves peeled
1 28 oz. can of tomatoes/or your own canned tomatoes
Sea salt
Olive oil
Rinse your grains and lentils off in a fine colander, set aside.

Put about a tablespoon of olive oil, about 1 teaspoon of sea salt, the herbs, leeks or onions, and carrots in a heavy bottomed soup pot. Turn the heat on fairly low and cook them covered for about five minutes, so they soften but don’t brown. This is called sweating.

Add the whole can of tomatoes, juice and all, then add about 5 cups of water/broth/stock. Bring this to a simmer.

Add the grains, lentils and garlic cloves.

Simmer covered until the grains are tender, about 45 minutes, depending on the grains. Add more water if necessary, to keep it at the thickness you prefer.

Test for seasoning. Add some fresh ground pepper, and serve in bowls drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

~~~This recipe is originally from "The Paris Cookbook" by Patricia Wells; I got this version off RootSimple.com, a blog about urban homesteading and the like. It's super-tasty, goes really well with some crusty bread, and is vegetarian/vegan. I like to make it with no-salt-added chicken or vegetable stock instead of water for more flavor. It's hearty, but not too heavy, and is a great fall/winter dish that wouldn't be out of place in early spring or late summer. If you want to get really decadent, I made this for some friends and we also shared a wheel of brie en croute with raspberry preserves and sliced apples--not quite as "wholesome," but very, very tasty if you want to treat/impress guests.

This represents how I usually make it:



Lots of fiber, veggies, and lots of potassium--I track potassium because it is helpful in managing blood pressure.