I wasn’t planning to do another vegetable soup post, but after my experience today I couldn’t resist. I almost ordered lentil soup while out to lunch today, but then I realized I haven’t made it in awhile and that I would just make a pot of it tonight myself. Once again it is rainy and cold, so lentil soup seemed like the perfect thing, and they are inexpensive. I went to one of the little fruit and vegetable markets in the center of Bologna, near our house, and picked out some lentils. In this particular shop you can buy dried goods too, and you can select those yourself, but when it comes to the fruits and vegetables, the vendors help you and bag what you ask for. Touching the produce without first asking can be a big mistake. When he asked what I wanted by simply saying “dimmi,” or “tell me,” I told the vendor, who seemed to be in his 20s and was dressed in high tops and a sweatshirt, that I wanted to make lentil soup. He then showed me that the lentils I got off of the shelf are imported from Canada but that he has Umbrian lentils in bulk near the produce. I happily switched to those and he helped me estimate about how many I would need – 500 grams, or about a pound and a quarter. I wasn’t necessarily going to ask for recipe advice but figured I would try it and see how much he wanted to talk about lentil soup and what he would suggest. Not too surprisingly, he was highly interested in giving advice, like most everyone I have encountered. Shopping for produce is serious here. Top quality is demanded and the vendors are professionals. I am so happy I asked because I ended up with a variety of things I wouldn’t have thought to add including: leek instead of the onion I thought I would buy, zucca (butternut squash in this case), a bulb of fennel, and cavolo nero (Tuscan black kale).
As an American I am particularly careful not to add too many things to a dish when cooking here, as there is a stereotype that Americans get too crazy with unnecessary innovations, whereas Italians tend to like perfecting the traditional form of a dish rather than reinventing it and potentially making a mess of it. But in this case the vendor told me that the more vegetables the better. Plus, he sold me just what I would need, like a small piece of zucca cut from the big squash. Also, he picked me out the best leek in the box and then before weighing it cut off the ends including the tough dark green part, but he still gave me those parts to use for a broth. The service is really incredible the more I think about it. Much like Pasquale who sold me the ingredients for the first vegetable soup, this guy said to simply cut everything into small pieces, add it to the pot along with water and the lentils, boil it all together for 40 minutes, and at the end drizzle it with olive oil and top with grated Parmesan cheese. In the end I paid 5.64 euro and left with a big bag of produce, top quality lentils, recipe advice, and a smile to help brave the rain. Plus, the nutrition nerd in me is super happy that my soup has both kale and squash – dark green and bright yellow vegetables are especially rich in vitamins. As my friend and fellow nutrition nerd Kat would say “ohhhh kale yes!” (pronounced like “hell yes!!”). I know, it’s nerdy. But before you judge, try saying it for real, out loud, like “ohhh kkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllleeeeeeee yes!” Now that you’re in the spirit and hopefully smiling, try making this soup and tell me what you think.
Ingredients
2 carrots, peeled
1 leek, trimmed
1 small to medium sized potato
1 slice/wedge of butternut squash or other winter squash, about 4x4x2”, rind removed
3 small tomatoes, such as Roma
1 small, trimmed, bulb of fennel
4-5 leaves of Tuscan black kale (or other leafy green)
500g (about 1.25 pounds) lentils, sorted and rinsed
Salt to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions:
1) --Wash and dice and dice all of the vegetables into the same size cubes/squares, preferably about 1-2cm.
2) --Sort and rinse the lentils.
3) ---Add the vegetables and lentils to a large stock pot and cover with water.
4) ---Simmer for about 40 minutes to an hour.
5) ---Add salt to taste.
6) ---Drizzle with olive oil before serving and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Buon appetito!!
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