Lentils

The first lentil soup today for a while, so I thought it worth while setting down the recipe.

12oz red lentils, 4oz grated boiled potato, made up to 2l with water, brought to the boil and simmered for around an hour. Managed to boil it over a bit, despite what I had thought was adequate watching.

Stood for a couple of days in the fridge until we were ready.

Add a little more water and slowly bring it back to the boil, stirring regularly to stop it catching. Add about 16oz of carrots, coarsely sliced but not peeled. Too much of the texture comes off with the peel. Simmer for about half an hour, after which the carrots should be soft but still retain some texture. They should still have an outside and an inside.

Meanwhile, peel three medium onions, cut into segments (as in orange). Simmer in a little butter with about five black peppercorns (after pounding them).

Cut about 8oz of smoked loin of bacon into 1cm cubes. Add to the onions.

When the onion is soft and translucent, add butter, onion and bacon to the lentils. Simmer for a further five minutes and serve. Managed not to catch it at all. Some dead flies, concerning which see reference 1.

At the point of serving it amounted to around 3.5l, of which we ate around half in the first sitting. Taken with fresh brown bread, a couple of hours out of the oven. All very successful.

PS 1: some left over boiled white rice was added to what was left to pad out the second sitting.

PS 2: bacon from the butcher at reference 2. He usually has smoked loin, also white puddings and black puddings. Sometimes he has oxtail and sometimes he has lots of fore rib in, most of which last one supposes is intended for some institutional order, this last being a good bit of his trade. He had, for example, a lot in today.

PS 3: at the point of serving, at 3.5l, the large saucepan was far too full for cooking. It only worked because at that point one was combining the soup with the onions, rather than cooking either.

Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/important-updates.html.

Reference 2: http://www.masterbutchersepsom.co.uk/orders.html.