Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Creamy Lentil Soup for the Dairy-Free Cream Lover

There are certain fall days that require a hot, hearty, creamy soup to warm the soul. Today was one of them. Rained all day. Overcast. A true fall nip is in the air. 

These days beg for warm creamy goodness. Sadly, it's been years since that need has been met. But we lucked out today. As a self-confessed lover of cream, this soup lands a spot on my top five list of creamy soups... despite the fact that it doesn't have an ounce of that eczema inducing product of cow lactation.

Creamy Lentil Soup for the Dairy-Free Cream Lover

You Will Need:
6 bacon slices
2 TBS olive oil
3 cups chopped onion
5 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
2 cups baking potato, peeled and chopped
1 cup dried green lentils
3/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup almond milk
2 TBS dry sherry

The Preparation Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot.

When oil is very hot, add the onions.

Brown 'em up, baby. About 5 minutes or so.

 

  
Add chopped potato, chopped carrot, lentils, chicken broth and salt. Swirl it all around. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for one hour or until vegetables are soft.

And now for my favorite part of any meal... the bacon. Fry it up. Nice and crispy. Remove bacon from the pan, chop it into smithereens, set aside to use as your topping for the soup.

Special note to all cooks who like their food extra tasty:
When your bacon is done cooking, you will have a bit of bacon grease sitting in the bottom of the pan. What to do? What to do? Take two tablespoons full of grease and stir it into the soup. Shhhh, don't tell anyone.

Special note to individuals concerned with their heart health:
I make no claims that this practice is in any way good for your health. I learned this trick from the cooks down the line in my Lithuanian heritage. Can't deny the urge to tie in the deep ancestral connection to my food.

Special note to all vegetarians: 
Pay no attention to the aforementioned step. Pretend I never spoke of it.

Ah ha! The hand blender. You need one.

Once the veggies are tender, take your hand blender to task in that deep soup pot. Puree until smooth.

Stir in the almond milk and sherry.

Top each serving with bacon crumbles. Ahhh!

This one goes out to some certain individuals who are serious about getting their boogie on...

Phish - Simple
Phish - 8/6/10 "Simple" from Phish on Vimeo.

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