We love soup at Scordo.com and we’re not very picky when it comes to the variety. However, we do have a couple of pet peeves about soup preparation:
- Soup must be homemade (we’re vehemently opposed to canned soup).
- Homemade soup must start with water and not pre-packaged chicken, beef, or vegetable stock (there are some exceptions), but we generally like to taste the main ingredients in soups which isn’t stock or broth.
- If you’re going to have soup for dinner you need to include a “secondi;” that is, a second dish or entree that can help fill you up and provide a complete meal. This can include a piece of grilled chicken or fish, for example. There are exceptions, for example, when making lentil soup with pork or chicken sausage.
Given the above prerequisites, the undisputed “king of soups” is Lentil (at least in our Italian inspired soul). Lentils are tasty, packed full of protein, and fairly straightforward to prepare. Here’s our classic lentil soup recipe.
Recipe: Lentil Soup
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 large onions
- 2 medium sized carrots
- 2 medium sized celery stalks
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- 1 cup of dry lentils
- 2 cups of passato or pureed canned tomatoes
- 4 cups of fresh, filtered, water
Process
- Finely dice the onion, celery stalks, carrots, and garlic.
- Sauté the above mixture (add salt and pepper to taste) for 8-10 minutes (depending on strength of flame) with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.Next, add one cup of dry lentils and about two cups of pureed canned tomatoes (not tomato sauce).
- You could substitute the canned tomatoes with a tomato paste/water mixture, but the flavor component will be different.
- Thereafter, add 4 cups of fresh water (filtered or purified water is best; remember water is the main ingredient in soup so opt for the best quality).
- Cook the ingredients for an hour (low flame) and serve! Add freshly grated Parmeggiono Reggiano.
That’s it, there’s no magic to preparing soup. Other soup recipes vary, but the basic steps outlined above are consistent across hundreds of soup types.
Hi Vincent!
I found your blog through Brazen Careerist. I love the recipes, the food looks yummy and I will definitely try these out! I am not a fan of processed foods and soups either so I try to make things for scratch.
I agree that lentil soup, and soup in general, is great. Thanks for the recipe.
Vince, I know you have a good work-ethic, and I’m interested in your take on something I posted today about Ken Madoff, work and wealth. Would you mind taking a moment to weigh in with a comment at http://www.diamondcutlife.org/ken-madoff-and-wealth-without-work/
Thanks and best regards,
Alison
Mmm… looks good! I agree that no pre-packaged stock should ever be used when making soup. However, a good homemade chicken, beef or tukey stock is absolutely delicious as a base for soup!
@Valerie
Hi! Thanks for the comments and for trying the recipes out. Let me know if you’d like to see any new recipes!
@Jen Yes, I should have been a little more specific; I think homemade stock is fine for a base as a soup. But you could also develop a very good soup by using high quality ingredients without stock (I want to taste the ingredients in the soup and not just the stock)!
Vince
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I made this yesterday for lunch. I added a few of each chard and Italian kale. It was good. Today I cooked a cup of short pasta and added a pint of the left over soup. That was even better!
This is a great recipe. If you do want a decent veggie broth try Pacific organic. Also I love adding chopped kale (fresh organic) to lentil soup for the texture, color and health!
Good tips! We’ve tried the Pacific organic brand, it’s good!
Vin
Hi Vincent. I made homemade lentil soup for tonight. We have 8 inches of snow outside and a warm fire inside. Tonight we will sit down to a tasty dish of soup some fresh Italian bread and a nice glass of red wine. It can’t get any better! I love all your recipes. I have followed you and made many of your dishes. Thanks for keeping them authentic and easy to prepare.
Angela
I made this last night and the flavour of the vegetables was more than enough to flavour the broth, I was surprised and very pleased with the result. I reduced it a little, added some extra vegetables and served it with mashed potatoes as a delicious, vegan winter warming stew. Thanks so much for the recipe, exactly what I was looking for!