Patrick’s Buttery Lentil Soup

From the Recipe Box of: Patrick Anderson

Recipe:

Patrick’s Buttery Lentil Soup   16 oz green lentils, rinsed and drained 2x 32 oz chicken bone broth (or stock) 8 oz tomato sauce (unseasoned) 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced 3 shallots, halved and sliced 1 large celery heart (with leaves), chopped 2 cups (raw) arugula 4 cups (raw) spinach 4 cups quartered baby bella mushrooms 4 cloves garlic, crushed 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp cultured butter 4-5 large bay leaves 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves 1 ½ Tbsp ground black mustard seeds 1 ½ Tbsp ground cumin 1 ½ Tbsp ground coriander 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbsp tomato paste 1 Tbsp Better than Bouillon No-Beef Base Fine grain salt and ground pepper, to taste   Heat oil and butter in heavy, large saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add onions, shallots, and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes (or until browned), stirring regularly.   Add a generous amount of salt and pepper, then spinach and arugula. Cover the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Remove lid and stir vegetables until spinach and arugula have fully wilted.   Add cumin, coriander, thyme, and black mustard, and stir well. Slowly add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Better than Bouillon, and Worcestershire sauce, stirring to incorporate throughout.   Add lentils and the first 32oz of bone broth (or stock). Stir so that lentils are fully mixed with vegetables. Add 16oz more bone broth (or stock) – about ½ of the second box. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 35 minutes (until lentils have fully softened). Check for taste, adding salt and pepper as needed.   Remove pot from heat. In batches of 4-5 ladles’ worth each, puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Pour batches of pureed mixture into a large bowl; when all are done, return the mixture to the large pot, add the remaining 16oz of bone broth (or stock), and return to stove over the lowest heat setting. Add bay leaves. Leave on stove, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve with toasted sourdough bread.

Recipe Story:

I have developed and nurtured this recipe over many years of loving lentils. I have made it hundreds (possibly thousands) of times, for various groups of people in various places, and for myself when I need a bowl of pure comfort. It is delicious, and health-full, and with slight adjustments can be made vegan.