Winter Soup

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Alternatively it could be called "Anything that comes to hand Soup" and it qualifies as cheap and filling and remarkably low in calories.

Ingredients -

3 slices smoked back bacon
2 largeish onions
2 sticks celery
2 cloves garlic
black pepper
paprika
chili powder
1 can chopped plum tomatoes in own juice
1 can baked beans in tomato sauce
1 can red kidney beans
5 oz dried green lentils
Water
Seasoning
Stock cube

What you do...

Rinse the lentils then put them in a pan of unsalted boiling water and let them boil briskly for about 10 minutes.
While that's happening get the sort of large and heavy pan that holds a lot AND is heavy enough to fry in. Cut the bacon into little bits and let it sweat in the bottom of the big pan so the fat can melt out of it. Do this first and you won't have to add any other fat or oil!
Chop the onions, celery and garlic fairly finely. Add the chopped veggies to the bacon and let them begin to brown. Season the pan with whatever you like. I quite fancied a spicey mexican type flavour so used chili, paprika, oregano, thyme and black pepper.
Once the stuff in the pan is beginning to brown, add the chopped tomatoes, baked beans and kidney beans, top up with water and add a chopped stock cube - I used a 'ham' flavoured one.
Cover the pan and let it bubble.
Meantime the green lentils should be ready to turn down to a simmer. Let them simmer for another ten to fifteen minutes before draining them and adding them to the pan as well. Top up with water again if necessary. Turn the heat down and let it carry on bubbling, without letting it get too dry, for - well basically until you get bored looking after it.
Eventually everything will be cooked and tender and all the flavours should have mingled. Then either liquidise about half of it using a food processor or some such machinery, OR give it a good pounding with a potato masher. Be sure to leave plenty of lumps though because lumps are more interesting.
Either share with friends and serve with torn off and buttered sections of baguette OR let it cool and freeze portions so you can have a belt of it whenever the night is miserable and you're too tired to be creative.

I'd post a picture only my daughter has borrowed the camera.