SOPHISTICATED CULINARY: Burgundy Lentil Soup With Bacon

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Beats give your soup a burgundy color. I absolutely love that color.
INGREDIENTS:
Bacon (extra thick), 2 strips, chopped
Bay leaves, 4
Beat, 1, small, chopped
Black pepper, 1 tbsp, ground
Broth (beef), 8 cups
Carrots, 3, small, chopped
Celery stalks, 3, medium, chopped
Garlic cloves, 8, chopped
Lentils (green), 2 cups
Olive oil, 3 tbsp
Onions, 1 white, 1 red, chopped
Salt (Kosher), 1 1/2 tbsp
Scallions, 6, finely chopped for decoration
Tomatoes, 2, medium, diced
Thyme (dry), 1 tsp
Water (hot), 2 cups
HOW TO MAKE IT
Heat a Dutch oven or a big pot on medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium and cook bacon for 5 minutes, until crispy. Add onions and cook for 3 more minutes. Add carrots, celery, salt, pepper, beat, tomatoes and cook for 5 more minutes. Make a spot in the middle of your vegetables, add olive oil and garlic, allowing garlic to cook until fragrant for up to 2 minutes.
Add broth, lentils, thyme, bay leaves, cover and simmer on low for 1 hour. Add 2 cups hot water, uncover and cook for 20 more minutes. Discard bay leaves.
Remove 4 cups of the soup from the pot, except bacon (use a fork to remove any bacon), and puree with an immersion blender. Add it back to the soup. Serve with finely chopped scallions on top. Freezes well for 6 months.
YIELDS: 12 servings.
Fried bacon should look like this: Crispy.
Cut the ends of the celery stalk before chopping it for the soup.
The sauteed vegetables will look very red due to tomatoes and beat prior to adding the lentils and broth to them.
If you don’t have beef stock in your freezer, here’s the best way to cheat delicious, homemade food: Better Than Bouillon is the best stock base there is. A teaspoon is used for every cup of water in which to delude it.
There you have it: A great lentil soup with vegetables and bacon.
SOPHISTICATED CULINARY by Lucas Eller