A Taste for Lentejas

I practically lived off lentils, or lentejas as they're called in Spanish, when I lived in Spain.

My 'mother,' Pepa, was an extraordinary cook. She even made a pot of lentils something I craved daily.

Of course, anything tasted amazing with a huge chunk of the daily loaf (it was my job to run downstairs to the bakery that was two doors down, past the bar that we lived above, to pick up two loaves of the most delicious, light and fluffy white bread I'd ever tasted).

I've tried to cook up my own pots of lentils from time to time, but sadly nothing ever compares. I doubt it ever will. But I still crave lentils often, and keep my eyes out for appealing lentil recipes to try.

The Junior League of Seattle has what looks to be a great recipe for "Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup," in Celebrate the Rain. The book suggests that "for a classic combination, try a hefeweizen unfiltered wheat beer with hints of barley and hops."

OHHH if only I had access to a six pack of Henry Weinhard's down here in Tennessee - my evening would be all the more complete!

Regardless, here's the recipe - I'll let you know how my stab at it turns out!

Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup

ingredients

- 4-5 large, ripe tomatoes (stemmed and halved crosswise)

- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

- 3 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, chopped

- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion

- 1 1/2 cups finely diced carrots

- 1 1/2 cups finely diced celery

- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (probably, the more, the better...)

- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

- 5 cans (14 ounces each) vegetable or chicken broth

- 2 cups French green lentils

- salt and pepper, freshly ground

directions

1.) Preheat the broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the top element. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the tomatoes in a single layer, cut side down.

2.) Use 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to lightly brush each tomato. Broil them until they darken, soften, and begin to blister, 4 to 6 minutes.

3.) Take the baking sheet from the oven, cover the tomatoes with a towel, and set aside on a wire rack to cool. When cool, gently peel away as much of the skin as you can with a small, sharp knife. Cut the tomato halves into 1/2-inch dices.

4.) Cook the pancetta in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Scoop out the pancetta onto paper towels to drain and pour off the grease.

5.) Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same pan, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute until tender, aromatic, and richly browned, about 7 to 8 minutes (take care not to scorch the veggies; reduce the heat a bit if needed).

6.) Stir in the balsamic vinegar, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the thyme, marjoram, and pancetta and cook for 1 minute longer.

7.) Add 7 cups of the broth with the tomatoes and lentils and bring to a low boil.

8.) Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.

If the soup is quite thick, add a bit more broth.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings.