Lentil soup - general principles and methods of preparation
Lentils, as a culture, have been known since prehistoric times. It was prepared by the ancient Greeks and Romans. These beans are common on almost all continents - they are eaten in America and India, in European and Eastern countries. Salads, appetizers, cutlets, mashed potatoes, stews are prepared from lentils, and, of course, soups are cooked. Beans are rich in trace elements, contain soluble fiber, but especially they contain a lot of folic acid, magnesium, potassium and iron. So that iron is better absorbed, lentils are prepared with foods rich in vitamin C - herbs, tomatoes, red pepper.
According to experts in Chinese medicine, lentils are warming food, especially if it is cooked with spices and spices, then its warming properties are enhanced. Therefore, lentil soup is the best suited for the winter diet, especially those people who live in the northern regions.
Lentil Soup - Preparation
There are many varieties of lentils, but the most famous are brown, red, green, Beluga. The most precocious in preparation is red, it becomes soft after 15 minutes of cooking, there is no need to pre-soak it. But if the soup uses green lentils, or brown, it is better to soak them in order to reduce cooking time. Beans are soaked for three hours, but if time permits, it is better to leave overnight. The water in which the lentils were soaked is poured, the beans are washed, and then put in soup.
Lentil soup - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Lentil Soup with Sausages
The recipe is borrowed from German cuisine. In the original, German sausages are taken for the soup, but it turns out very tasty with smoked sausages of domestic production. Try to cook, the soup does not last long, and the taste is amazing.
Ingredients: 4 sausages, 250g lentils, wheat flour - 1 tablespoon, 1 onion and 2 carrots, 1 tsp vinegar (6-9%), mild mustard - 1 tablespoon, bay leaf -1-2 pcs., vegetable oil, 200 g sour cream, salt, pepper, parsley - a small bunch.
Cooking method
Soak lentils overnight. Peel and chop carrots and onions in butter, adding parsley. Pour a spoonful of flour, fry it and pour water (1.5l). Add lentils and, boiling, cook over low heat until the beans are ready (with the lid closed). Once the lentils are soft, add sour cream, bay leaf, vinegar, salt, mustard, pepper and sausages with parsley to the soup. Let it boil for ten minutes.
Recipe 2: Lentil Soup with Sorrel
We can say that this is a lentil analogue of green borsch. Despite the simple ingredients, the soup is very tasty. It is cooked on any meat - chicken breasts, pork ribs, beef brisket. If you do not find fresh sorrel, use frozen or canned. Yes, so that the color of the ingredients harmonizes, it is better to take green lentils. Consumption of products is indicated in 1.5 liters of water. You can cook without potatoes at all, then the amount of lentils should be increased by two tablespoons.
Ingredients: 0.3 kg of meat, 2 potatoes, lentils - 3 tablespoons, 1 onion, salt, sour cream, a bunch of sorrel, 1 egg, crackers.
Cooking method
Boil the water, pour the lentils in it and put the meat into slices and cook until soft. Then add the finely chopped onions and diced potatoes. After 15 minutes, put chopped sorrel, salt. Mix the egg with a couple of spoons of the cooled broth from the pan and pour into the soup, constantly stirring with a spoon so that the egg is evenly distributed throughout the pan. Serve lentil and sorrel soup with sour cream, sprinkle with crackers on top.
Recipe 3: Lentil Chowder
Why not cook lentil soup on a frosty winter evening? It will quickly satisfy your hunger, warm your blood, and vegetable ingredients will delight you with bright colors. An interesting combination of products: pumpkin gives the dish a light sweetness, tomatoes give it a sour taste, chili peppers give a spicy pungency, and all together create a common bouquet with a great taste. Some gourmets add a slice of lemon to the plate, claiming that this way the taste of lentil soup improves. Try it, maybe you will like it.
Ingredients: 600g lentils, 0.5kg smoked pork ribs, 0.5kg tomatoes in its own juice, 2 carrots, 1 small zucchini, 1 large onion, 0.4kg pumpkin, 3 garlic cloves, salt, vegetable oil, a pinch of coriander, black pepper and burning red.
Cooking method
Wash and peel all vegetables. Then chop: garlic and onion - finely, carrots, pumpkin and zucchini with small straw sticks.
Heat the oil, fry the onions and carrots in it for five minutes, then put the zucchini, garlic and pumpkin, stew for another five minutes.
Cut the ribs into pieces, fry in a frying pan without oil for three minutes and transfer to a pan. Add lentils here and pour one and a half liters of boiling water (boiling water). As it boils, remove the foam, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes.
Chop the tomatoes - knead with a fork and transfer the whole tomato mass to a saucepan, add the fried vegetables, salt the soup, bring to a boil, adding heat. Sprinkle with pepper, coriander, and, reducing the heat, let it boil for five minutes. Turn off the stove, and let the soup brew for ten minutes. Serve with herbs.
Recipe 4: Spiced Lentil Soup with Olives
Despite the fact that the soup is cooked without meat, the taste is rich, and the texture is pleasant, velvety. This is half a soup puree, because potatoes and part of the lentils are chopped with a blender. If you want to innovate in the soup, try replacing the potatoes with cauliflower. It turns out amazing! The consistency is still velvety, and the taste is a little more tender. You can use lentils of green or red color, this does not affect the taste, but red is closer in color. If you cook from green beans, pre-soak them overnight.
Ingredients: water - 2.5 l, ½ cup lentils, 4-5 medium-sized potatoes, 3 large tomatoes - fresh or in your own juice (you can replace 2 tablespoons tomato paste), a pair of medium carrots and celery stalks, greens - fresh or dried, salt, pepper, a large pinch of spices: zira, ginger, turmeric, 100-150 g of pitted olives.
Cooking method
Peeled potatoes with water and cook until soft. In a pan, crush with a pusher or a hand blender.
Cook potatoes while frying. Shred the greens and celery lightly, grate the carrots. Sauté carrots in butter until soft, sprinkle with spices. Add greens with celery, stew a little and introduce chopped tomatoes or tomato paste, diluting it with a couple of tablespoons of water. Make sure that it does not burn.
Two-thirds of the total amount of lentils put in a pot of potatoes, add the frying and boil for about fifteen minutes to make the beans soft. Once they are softened, lower the hand blender once more into the soup and grind the mass to a puree state.
Put in the soup the remaining third of lentils, olives, salt and cook until tender for ten to fifteen minutes. Serve sprinkled with herbs.
