This is one of those soups that I honestly can't remember when I started making it. The components of this soup are ones that I frequently use as entrees or appetizers, so making a soup of it is pretty much a no-brainer. One memory of it that I do have is when I was working in Seattle one of the chefs that I hung out with was a big fan of finishing lentils of with a splash of sherry vinegar, which I have most definitely co-opted because of how it works.
I break this soup into two separate cooking methods, actually three if you include grilling the sausage (you don't have to grill it, I just like the added char flavor). I cook the lentils separately and add them to the cooked soup. The main reason I do this is that lentils go from cooked to soft fairly quickly. It also makes it easier to puree the lentils and thicken the soup to my liking, without having to remove the sausage and vegetables that are in the soup.
For this soup (as well as most of the dishes that I add lentils to) I use carrots and celery to cook the lentils, then fennel and onions as the vegetables for the soup. You can alter these how you like but they compliment the lentils and sausage very well. As for garnish on this soup, in the past I've used pickled onions, but this time I made a quick salad of pickled onions and sauteed fennel to add a little texture and round out the flavor of the soup.
Ingredients
Lentils:
Lentils 1 lb
Carrots, peeled chopped 2 ea
Celery, chopped 2 ea
Onion, chopped 1 ea
Avenue Spice 1 T
Thyme, fresh 1 oz
Oregano, fresh 1 oz
Crushed Red Pepper 1 T
Chicken Stock 2 qt
Soup:
Italian Sausage* 2 lbs
Garlic, peeled and sliced 1 head
Onion, diced 2 ea
Fennel, diced 2 ea
Butter 1/4 cup
Crushed Red Pepper 2 tsp
Chicken Stock 2 qt
Sherry Vinegar 2 T
Dijon Mustard 1 T
Salt and Pepper to taste
Avenue Spice 1 T
Garnish
Sauteed fennel and pickled onions mixed, toasted bread
Method of Procedure
Rough chop your carrots, celery, and 1 onion then place into a pot with thyme, oregano, 1 T of avenue spice, and 1 T of crushed red pepper.
Saute on high heat for about 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally to get a light caramelization on your vegetables.
Add two quarts of chicken stock then bring to a boil. Put your lentils in, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes until the lentils are softening up.
Strain the stock out, reserving the liquid for the base part of the soup. Place the lentils on a tray spread out, so that they cool faster. Once cooled you can remove the vegetables and herbs, then throw them out.
Take your Italian sausage and grill it to get nice char on the skin**. It doesn't have to be completely cooked, just firmed up to slice. Once cooled, slice them into rounds.
In your soup pot put your butter, onion, sliced garlic, crushed red pepper, and fennel and saute while stirring for caramelization.
Put in your sausage and add your dijon mustard, then stir to coat.
Take 3 qts of chicken stock and pour into the soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Add your avenue spice and sherry vinegar then season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for around 30 minutes.
Take 1 cup of lentils and 2 cups of broth, then puree them with a stick blender.
Put the remaining lentils and broth into the soup pot and add the pureed lentils.
Simmer for another 20 minutes and season to taste.
If the soup isn't thick enough for your tastes, you can use the stick blender and lightly puree the soup. Just try to avoid pureeing the sausage.
*I use mild Italian sausage because of the people I cook for. You can substitute it for hot or chorizo, bacon, or really anything you want.
**If you don't want to grill it, you can roast it in the oven. I recommend cooking it in advance a bit, just to make it easier to work with, you can slice and use it raw if you like.
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