Lentil Soup

A Perfect Soup



In 1970 - 71 my family spent nine months in Egypt. As well-heeled Westerners (and in Egypt all Westerners were well-heeled at that time), we had a cook, Mah'moud and a series of house-boys and maids. A regular menu item was, of all things, roast turkey.

A turkey would feed the entire family (there were six of us plus a student) and so was a convenient size for dinner. And the turkey was awesome. Nothing like these hormone-stuffed, overbred mutants you find at the grocery store. No, these babies were much closer to wild turkey and packed with flavor — even the breasts were dark. Unless you've eaten a true wild turkey you can't imagine how good those Egyptian turkeys were.

As well-heeled Westerners (and in Egypt all Westerners were well-heeled at that time), we had a cook, Mah'moud and a series of house-boys and maids.

The next day, inevitably, we had lentil soup. Mah'moud would turn the turkey carcass into stock then pick off all the stray bits of meat and add them to the soup. It turns out that the turkey and lentil flavors are a near-perfect match. I'd never had lentil soup before that year in Cairo (and I'm not ordinarily a fan of dried legumes), but I came home a serious fan of lentil soup and have made it many times since. Unfortunately, I only knew two things about Mah'moud's soup — it was made with turkey stock and he served it with lemon wedges.

Over the years I've tried a lot of variations in the base such as chicken stock, beef stock, and pork stock. Turkey is definitely best. Then I made it once using a smoked turkey carcass and it was over the top with the smoky flavor contributing greatly to the savor of the beans. In fact, I discovered that if I didn't have a turkey carcass (even un-smoked) then a smoked ham hock was a close third place.

I also learned to take the time to make a proper stock. Simmer the meat with onions, carrots, and celery for at least two hours before discarding the veggies, picking off the meat, and making the soup.

One recipe I tried during my search for the perfect lentil soup called for grated carrot and sure enough, I found it added a pleasant bit of background sweetness so that went into the repertoire. The most recent trick I've come up with is adding a couple of stalks of lemon grass to the stock mixture and grated lemon zest to the soup mixture. These steps embed a couple of layers of lemony flavor in the soup that simply adding lemon juice at the end doesn't accomplish.

At this moment my house is suffused with the scent of the stock I've been simmering for the last two hours. Fortunately Kroger sells smoked turkey legs and wings so I don't have to smoke the turkey myself (although that is **always better). Shortly I'll go make the soup. I bought some Bay's English Muffins that I'll spread with garlic/parmesan butter and I'll zap some cabbage in the microwave (try it, it works) then drain and dress it with butter and fresh minced dill.

Lentil Soup
Serves 6.

Stock:
1 roasted turkey carcass (smoked turkey is better, and a smoked ham hock works)
1 md yellow onion — peeled and quartered
1 lg carrot — cut into 1" lengths
1 stalk celery with greens attached — cut into 1" lengths
1 stalk lemon grass
1 bay leaf
20 whole pepper corns
Soup:
1 lb green lentils — washed and picked over
2 tbsp olive oil
1 md yellow onion — peeled and diced
1 lg carrot — grated
zest of 1 large lemon
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Fresh lemons — cut into quarters

Stock:
Break the turkey carcass into pieces and place in a stock pot and the remaining stock ingredients. Add enough water to cover completely, place over high heat, and bring almost to a boil — **but don't boil! Reduce heat to medium and simmer for two hours, skimming off any scum that forms and discarding. Add additional water as needed to keep ingredients covered.

Remove carcass from pot. Pick off any meat, and chop finely. Strain broth into another pot or container and discard solids (except for any meat that may have fallen off, which should be chopped).

Soup:
Clean pot and wipe dry. Add olive oil and heat to medium. Sauté diced onion until it begins to brown. Add lentils, grated carrots, lemon zest, and a tsp of salt. Add enough broth to cover lentils to a depth of 1 1/2 inches.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for two hours, stirring occasionally and adding, as necessary, enough additional stock or water to keep the lentils under 1/2 inch of liquid. Remove from heat and stir in any chopped turky. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.

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