For our final “restorative” soup recipe of the month I wanted to share a little more about my story with Liz.

When she called on that beautiful Fall day to share her devastating news about her recent breast cancer diagnosis I wanted to jump on a plane to go and give her a hug. While it wasn’t possible to leave that moment, I made arrangements to fly out a few months later. Before I left Chicago on that cold January weekend to visit, I asked her to pick out her favorite recipes so I could stock up her refrigerator with some home cooked meals.

By the time I arrived she was in the middle of her chemotherapy treatments so we spent our first afternoon together curled up on her couch sipping hot tea and talking about the previous few months. When she was talked out I pulled out my shopping list and headed to the market.

Ina Garten’s (The Barefoot Contessa) Lentil Vegetable Soup was on the top of her list.  She said the crunchy vegetables and delicious French lentils really lifted her spirits on those dark days. So for our last post of the month I adapted The Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for the slow cooker. The proportions are the same but I tweaked the ingredients slighty and modifed the cooking process.

Enjoy!

Prep Time  20 mins                            Cooking Time 6 hours on LOW/ 3 hours on HIGH     Serving 4-6 people

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin cold pressed if possible)
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 medium)
2 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
1 ½ cups medium-diced celery (4 stalks)
1 ½ cups medium-diced carrots (3 carrots)
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup of French green lentils
1 tablespoon red wine
1 ½ quarts of chicken/vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste

In a large skillet or stock pot saute heat the olive oil.  Add the onions, leeks, celery and carrots and saute gently for 1 minute.

Add the garlic, thyme, cumin and black pepper and continue to saute for a further minute.

Remove from heat and spoon the mixture into your slow cooker.  Stir in the lentils, red wine, chicken stock and tomato paste. Cover and set the timer to low and cook for 6 hours.

“Cooks note – the broth tastes very healthy and restorative. Liz recommends parmesan cheese and crispy pancetta as a topping. I would add salt and pepper to taste.

Zen Moment

“My friends have made the story of my life.”

― Helen Keller