Lentils are a delicious way to add more minerals and vitamins as well as fibre to a dish. Lentils are not overpowering in flavour and are great in a stew or soup, going well with onion, carrots, potatoes, celery and beef or pork. If you have precooked or rapid cooking lentils then there is no need to soak overnight, as we used to do here.

Here's one of my Spanish recipes for a good lentil soup:

Ingredients:

lentils - 250 grams (slightly over 1 cup)
garlic - one whole head
onion - 1 large - quartered
Kasseler smoked pork chop - 1 large (or 250 grams other smoked pork or bacon)
ham or pork bone as for making stock
4 medium carrots - sliced into coins
2 stalks celery - diced
5 medium potatoes - peeled and cut into 8ths
6 flowerettes of cauliflower
green beans - handful sliced
tomato puré - small 4 oz tin
olive oil - 4 TBS
fresh garden herbs: 1 bay leaf, several sprigs thyme, Italian flatleaf parsley 2 or 3 sprigs
chicken stock 1 liter (4 cups) or water and 3 Knorr chicken stock cubes
salt & fesh ground pepper
water to cook lentils
vinegar - 1 teasp
garlic croutons - optional garnish

Method:

1) Turn on oven to 350F. Put lentils in large heavy bottomed stew pot with water to cover plus about 2 inches, bring to boil and simmer 45 minutes. Check water level and add more as needed.

2) Meanwhile put whole head of garlic into shallow baking pan together with quartered onion, Kasseler or smoked pork and ham or pork bone, drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven at medium heat about 45 minutes.

3) Remove baking tray from oven when all is nicely browned and cut meat into small dice and add to lentil pot along with onion. Squeeze garlic from skin into lentil pot, adding ham/pork bone along with oil and juices scraped from roasting pan.

4) Add rest of vegetables to lentils, chicken stock (or water and stock cubes), tomato puré, fresh herbs and bay leaf, parsley - reserving one sprig, fresh ground pepper. Bring to boil and simmer about 1 hour until vegetables are done, adding more water if needed.

5) When vegetables are tender, remove ham/pork bones and any bare thyme stems from pot, check for flavour and add salt as needed. Add vinegar and stir.

6) Serve with a bit of chopped parsley and more fresh ground pepper. Homemade garlic croutons are also nice as a garnish.

Source: Recipe as I learned from a Mallorquin housewife years ago

SharonCb

My way of making lentil soup is much like Sharon's. However, I usually don't have that many different vegetables on hand and I usually don't include meat. It tastes good without the meat, but a little ham or smoked sausage is nice too.

I can't tell you about beluga lentils or precooked lentils. I've only used dried brown lentils. I don't soak lentils. They are small and will cook in an hour or less without soaking. I would like to try the beluga lentils and also the French green ones.

Lentil soup as a main course is an easy meal to prepare.

Jim

Here's one of my favourite Spanish dishes - Stewed Lentils (Lentejas Estofadas). Although I have been making it for years the way a Spanish cook once showed me, this time I followed the preparation seen recently on a Spanish Cooking TV channel. Their ingredients included a small piece of

350 grams (1 1/2 cups) of small dark lentils - put them to soak the night before in water to cover (Optional)
100 grams (3.5 oz) red stewing chorizo sausage - lightly pricked over with tines of a fork
50 grams (1.7 oz) salted tocino pork fat - cut into large diced pieces
1 TBSP flour
2 carrots finely diced
2 medium leeks, using only white stems sliced finely in rounds
1 lg clove garlic (this was optional but I wouldn't leave it out) - pass through garlic press
2 cups beef broth (I used 2 Knorr cubes)
1 bay leaf
fresh rosemary - small sprig
olive oil - about 1/4 cup
2 cups extra water to add after 1st hour

1. Soak lentils the NIGHT BEFORE in water to cover.(Omit this step if using precooked or tender lentils.)

2. Next day drain and rinse lentils, put aside.

3. Heat olive oil in heavy cooking pot. When sizzling, add carrots, garlic and leeks. Lightly brown while stirring.

4. Add 1 TBSP flour and keep stirring for about a minute.

5. Add lentils, beef broth, whole chorizo, tocino, laurel and rosemary

6. Put on lid and simmer very gently for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Check after 1st hour and add up to 2 more cups water as needed.

7. Adjust seasoning and serve.

SharonCb

Beluga lentils are a lot like French green lentils, smaller and less prone to fall apart. I think they wold be great in you soup. Since they are already cooked they should stay separate from the rest of the ingredients. Ordinary brown lentils tend to dissolve and do overwhelm the other flavors. (I like that, but these are also good!)

They are a good variety to use in salads.

Thanks so much for the replies!