Lentil Soup With Bacon Food

LENTIL & BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, 1 pack of pancetta and the carrot. Cook on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes until the onions are soft.
• Add the cumin, turmeric, garlic and chilli and cook for a further 1 - 2 minutes until the aromas are released.
• Pour in 1.25 litres of boiling water, crumble in the stock cubes and add the lentils. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally to ensure the lentils aren't sticking.
• Meanwhile, fry the remaining lardons in a small frying pan for about 10 minutes until crispy. You don't need to add any oil as plenty will run from the pancetta.
• Serve the soup with a sprinkle of crispy lardons on top.

LENTIL SOUP WITH BACON

Steps:

• In a saucepan, brown the bacon. Remove the bacon and set aside.
• Add onion and carrots, cook 5 minutes.
• Add lentils, chicken broth and bay leaf.
• Let simmer 25 to 30 minutes.
• Add the bacon, cumin and parsley.

LENTIL SOUP WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cook bacon in large saucepan or Dutch oven on medium heat until crisp. Remove all but 1 tablespoon drippings from pan. Add butter, onion, carrots, celery and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes or until softened. Add beef stock and tomatoes; bring to boil.
• Stir in lentils and seasonings. Return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until lentils are tender. Discard bay leaves.
• With center part of cover removed to let steam escape, puree 2 cups of the soup in blender on high speed until smooth. Return pureed mixture to saucepan. Ladle into soup bowls.

STEWED LENTILS WITH BACON AND HERBS

Steps:

• To cook the lentils: In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients. Add water to the pot until it covers the ingredients by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
• Remove the pot from the heat and season the water with salt. Taste the water to make sure it is seasoned. Let the lentils sit in the salty water for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow the lentils to absorb the seasoned water. Ladle off 1 cup of the lentil cooking water and reserve.
• Remove all the vegetables and aromatics from the lentils and discard. Strain the lentils from the water.
• To assemble the lentils: Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon lardoons. When the bacon has rendered off a lot of fat and has become brown and crispy, add the onions. Season the onions with salt and sweat them until they become very soft and aromatic.
• Add the celery, fennel and carrot. Season with salt and saute over medium heat until the vegetables start to become soft and aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the cooked lentils, 1/4 of the reserved lentil cooking water, the mustard and vinegar. Cook until most of the liquid has reduced. Taste for seasoning, add salt or more vinegar, if needed. Serve hot or at room temperature.
• MMMMM!!!! Lentils and bacon...OH MY!!

LENTIL-APPLE SOUP WITH BACON & BUTTERMILK

Steps:

• Slice bacon into 1-inch pieces. Heat vegetable oil over medium heat in a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan. Add the bacon and cook till crispy, 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the leek in half reserving the light green part (discard or use the dark upper stem for another use such as stock). Slice lengthwise, then thinly slice into thin half-moon rounds. Set aside. Peel and slice the carrots. Cut into quarters lengthwise, then dice. Set aside. Trim celery then cut in quarter strips, lengthwise and dice.
• Drain the bacon on paper towels and pour off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat (save the bacon fat by pouring into a room-temp glass and keep in the fridge). Add leeks, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt to the pan. Stir then sweat over low heat until vegetables are tender, 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, use a knife to remove the ginger peel. Cut ginger in half, then thinly slice into sheets, then matchsticks and finely chop. Add to the pot. Peel and dice garlic and add to the pot.
• When the vegetables are soft and lightly caramelized, add cumin. Toast in the skillet for 30 seconds. Add lentils, black pepper, chicken stock, and apple cider. Cover, turn up heat to medium and bring to a heavy simmer, 5 minutes. Reduce to a low simmer and cook 30 minutes.
• While the soup is simmering chop the apples by slicing around the core in thin rounds, then matchsticks and finally a small dice. Remove rosemary needles from stem by holding the sprig at the top, then sliding your fingers down to the bottom stripping off the needles. Bunch needles together and mince. When the soup is "soupy," stir in the apples and rosemary and cook 2-3 additional minutes.
• Taste soup and add salt if necessary. Serve in individual bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of buttermilk and a sprinkle of bacon.

SLOW COOKER LENTIL SOUP WITH BACON

Steps:

• Rinse lentils well under cold running water. Drain and transfer to a slow cooker. Pour in water until water level is twice as high as lentils. Add bay leaf and set slow cooker to High.
• Meanwhile, heat onion and bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until bacon is crispy, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with garlic powder and transfer bacon-onion mixture to the slow cooker.
• Cook on High until lentils are tender, about 5 hours.

LENTIL, BACON AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Cook and stir carrots and onions in bacon drippings until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes. Add tomato paste, garlic, thyme and pepper; cook 1 minute longer., Add stock and wine; increase heat to medium-high. Cook 2 minutes, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in butter beans, lentils and bacon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Uncover; continue simmering until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs if desired.

HEARTY LENTIL SOUP WITH BACON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Combine onion, celery, carrot, bacon and garlic in heavy Dutch oven. Stir over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover; add 7 cups broth, lentils, thyme and bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
• Transfer half of soup to processor; cool slightly. Puree until smooth. Return puree to Dutch oven. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more broth, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
• Combine parsley and chives in small bowl. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle parsley mixture over and serve.

LENTIL SOUP WITH CAULIFLOWER AND BACON

Steps:

• In a large pot, cook the bacon strips until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat or, if there's less than 2 tablespoons, add enough olive oil to make up the amount.
• Reduce the heat to moderately low. Add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the lentils, salt, pepper, rosemary, bay leaf, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
• Add the cauliflower florets and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower and lentils are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf.
• Stir the parsley into the soup. Serve the soup topped with the bacon.
• Variation: Substitute broccoli florets for the cauliflower. Add them after the lentils have cooked for about twenty-five minutes and then simmer until the broccoli is tender, five to ten minutes longer.