Hearty Lentil and Sausage Soup with Pesto

I've been had. Got sucked right in along with most Sydneysiders. By the weather, that is. A whole week of blissfully blue skies, mid 20deg C temperatures. Of course I've already put away the thick doona, potted up some blooms, even took the bubs to the beach and stocked up on salad greens. Then brrrrr- the miserably cold and grey days are back.

I should really know by now. Every year it happens. Spring is such a tease, always full of promise but likes to take its time getting here. Not much I can do about the grey so I might as well embrace it. Very well then- the salad menus go back on file and out come the old, tried and tested soup recipes. Yes, they have to be old. Adventurous as I am with food, I like to rely on the familiar when eating for warmth and comfort. You see, I expect a lot from my soups. It may not be fair but I do. My soups not only have to warm but they also have to fill, heal, energise and satisfy. This concoction is one of the hardest-working and ever dependable soups I know.

Lentil soups seem very popular in many cultures. Moroccan harira, Indian dahl and the sausage and lentil combo is apparently 'very Dutch'. My version does not use any herbs while cooking but I like to add a dollop of pesto upon serving.

You will need:

2Tbsp olive oil
100g bacon, chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced thinly
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 c cooked chipolata, cut ito small cubes (any sausage of your choice will do, even cubed ham can be used. i just happened to have had left-over chipolatas from the previous night's dinner)
1/2 c chopped fennel bulb
1/2 chopped carrots
400g tin chopped plum tomatoes
1c green lentils (the sort I used did not require pre-soaking, check the label on packaging)
4c bacon stock
freshly cracked black pepper

basil pesto


Heat up the oil in a saucepan and add the bacon. When the bacon is brown and has rendered fat, add the garlic and onion. Stir around until the onion is transluscent. Add the sausage, fennel and carrots and let cook for a couple of minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, cover and leave for two minutes. Add the lentils and bacon stock. Let it simmer on medium heat until the lentil is soft (but not too mushy), around 20mins. Season with black pepper.

Ladle into bowls and top with a teaspoon of basil pesto.
Serves 4.


I am submitting this for the Second Annual Super Soup Challenge hosted by Tami. The photography/food styling in her blog Running with Tweezers are some of the most visually stunning, lip-licking food images I've seen. 'Food Porn' at its best ;-)

Luscious Golden Vegetable Soup

The grown-ups in our household do tend to overindulge from time to time so in order to balance things out a bit, we try and have soup for dinner some nights. This was my husband's idea. He seems to be under the false impression that soups are always healthy and low-fat. I do love very tasty things which, unfortunately, usually translates to creamy concoctions when it comes to soups.

This one that I made tonight doesn't seem so bad. The idea came up as I was thinking of something to make for A, who at 6 months, is still limited in his food repertoire. This really is just glorified baby food. Just kidding! At any rate, I am glad A kindly let me experiment with some of his vegetable puree which ended up feeding the rest of the clan.

Before anything else, please know that when I cook, except when making dessert, I do not follow a single recipe and follow a multitude at the same time. I do not like to measure, preferring to taste my cooking as I go along. I constantly read cookbooks and surf the net for inspiration and try and make things from memory, usually putting my own slant on things to use ingredients that are readily available. Measures are all approximate, trust your own instinct when it comes to cooking!

1 c chopped butternut pumpkin
1 c chopped sweet potato
1 c chopped parsnips

Boil above vegetables in 400ml water until very soft. Puree in a blender.
A couple of tablespoons of this was gobbled up by my little man. The rest can go in the soup...

Fry a cup of chopped leeks in 3Tbsp olive oil until transluscent. Add 1/2tsp minced garlic and 1/2tsp minced ginger (I decided to add this as everyone at home has got the sniffles at the moment). Mix around for a minute. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 c bacon stock. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Blitz with a hand blender. Add the pureed vegetables and let simmer until hot.

There really is no reason to separate the boiling/blending of the vegies and leek apart from the fact that the vegies were originally bought and cooked for A, who isn't old enough for oil/onion/salt/pepper yet.

I was surprised by the taste of this soup at there was already lot of creaminess without needing to add the usual topping of sour cream. I have made sweet potato soup and pumpkin soup separately before. However, I think it's the earthiness of the parsnip that ties this together.

I also made some Zucchini floaters (if a bit of crunch on your soup floats your boat, try this!)
The idea of 'floaters' I got from a book called 'Super Soups' by Michael van Straten.
This is how I made my very simple version:
Mix together
1 cup grated zucchini
1 beaten egg
1 c plain flour
salt and pepper to taste.
Take spoonfulls of the mix and fry in olive oil until brown and crunchy.

Ta Dah!!!!