1 T butter (optional)
1 sweet onion, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 carrots thinly sliced
1 T tomato paste
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed (or 28 oz of Hunts sauce and 14 oz of whole or diced)
4 c water
2 cups vegetable stock or broth or chicken broth
1 lb bag of dried lentils
1 ham bone, (with some meat on it)
1/4 cup minced fresh sage leaves (can use less)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1 T parsley
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp Summer Savory
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon (or lime juice) Optional
Sprinkle of crushed or ground red pepper (optional)
Melt 1 T butter in soup pot, saute onions, celery, carrots til onions are translucent.
Add garlic, tomato paste, stir saute a couple minutes.
Add canned tomatoes, water, broth, lentils, ham bone, herbs, pepper.
Simmer for 1 hour remove bone and let cool then shred/chop meat and add back to soup. Discard bone.
Great with corn bread.
Found original (vegetarian) recipe on Foodwine.com ( Lisa Ekus presents: Lentil-Sage soup- now in the archives ).
Choose whatever tomato products you have. Some sauce and some pieces I think make the best combination.Today I didn't have any fresh sage so I just omitted it. I seldom use the whole 1/4 cup.
I never used to add the lemon, so that's optional, but now I like to add it if I have any on hand..
The more veggies the better.
