Lentil Soup with Sorrel and Nettles
My favorite lentils are the green lentils of Puy in France. They called “poor man’s caviar”. Their green color is produced by the blue pigment anthocyanin which, coupled with yellow husk, creates the pale green shade. During cooking, this beautiful green lentils turn brown. Evidence from Gallo-Roman times suggests that lentils have been cultivated in Le Puy-en-Velay for almost 2000 years.
Sorrel is a vibrant leafy green and its fruit are used to add a sharp, citrusy flavor to soups, sauces, and is superb with any fish and curries. They grow often wild in the woodlands next to fiddleheads. Sorrel is high in vitamin C. It’s also used medicinally, as it’s touted to promote healthy digestion, decrease inflammation, and treat mouth ulcers. As everything else. sorrel is to be consumed in moderation due to high content of oxalates. I grow it in my garden and use it as an addition to my soup and fish.
Nettle leaf is a rich source of antioxidants, which are needed for reducing the number of free radicals in your system. Vitamin C, for instance, is a powerful aid to the immune system and may even provide protection against various types of cancer.
At the beginning of spring, sorrel, nettles and lovage are the first plants that appear in my garden each year. They also are the last ones that leave me at the end of fall. I can’t imagine not to have them near.
Lentil Soup with Sorrel and Nettles is a delightful dish that is surprisingly quick and easy to prepare. As the first signs of spring emerge in early April, the garden offers up fresh nettles, sorrel, and lovage, making it the perfect time to whip up this nourishing soup. Packed with wholesome ingredients, this toothsome soup not only provides a burst of flavor but also sustains the whole family, serving as a satisfying main course. Bright, earthy, and healthful, Lentil Soup with Sorrel and Nettles captures the essence of the season in a single, comforting bowl.
Yield: 5 litres
Ingredients:
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 medium sized yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 leek (green and white parts), finely chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups roasted tomato and pepper sauce( check my recipe)
3 litres vegetable broth
bouquet garni ( 2xfresh bay leaves, lovage, fresh curry plant, nettle, black and white peppercorns, 2 garlic cloves)
1/2 cup fresh sorrel , chopped
1/2 cup fresh nettle (if you don’t have them in your garden, there is plenty growing in the wild) other substituted is fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh cream
salt and pepper to taste
use chives, parsley or lovage plant for garnish
Instructions:
Presoak lentils and rinse several times.
Chop all vegetables.
Sweat all vegetables in melted butter for 5 minutes under cover. Sweating vegetables is a technique that uses a gentle heat to soften vegetables and gently draw out their flavors.
Add lentils, vegetable broth and bouquet garni. Bring soup to boil and bring down the temperature just to simmer. Cook for 45 minutes until vegetables and lentils are cooked.
Add roasted tomato/pepper sauce, fresh nettle and sorrel. Bring soup to boil.
Remove soup from the heat and discard the bouquet garni.
Puree 50% of ingredients in the soup with help of immersion blender.
This process will release great flavor. Partial blending makes the nutrients in a vegetable soup (especially the fibers) easier for your body to digest, because it breaks down the cell walls of the plants for you.
Tempering: In the glass bowl combine fresh cream with 1/2 soup that has been slightly cooled off. Use whisk or fork.
Stir cream mixture into the soup and then REMOVE from the heat. Do Not Boil!
Garnish soup with fresh chives, parsley or lovage.
BON APPETIT!
SMACZNEGO!