That ain’t the question.

I’m pulsing.

Hm. That didn’t come out right.

Moving right along.

Okay. For the second week — again — of #pulsepledge at the Elen casa I decided to throw together My Favorite Lentil Soup. Yes. That is the name of this recipe from Jane Brody’s Good Food Book (1985). I’ve been eating it since the womb or eleventy hundred years, whichever is longer.

And I won’t be telling you.

And to clarify, I say the second week — again — because of something about starting on Wednesday when I started on Monday or some such clerical woo-woo.

Oh, never you mind.

Let’s get to it.

I call this The Prime of Miss Jane Brody.

Just checking to see if you’re still with me.

Chop up some onions. Whatever you’ve got. I used cooking onions. Approximately 2 cups. Coarsely grate some carrots. I used three large. I like the carrot. It makes my heart go pitty-pat.

Grab a large saucepan, soup pot or whatever and put some olive oil in there. Couple of tablespoons ought to do it.

Now sauté those carrots and onions over a medium heat until that onion is translucent. Soft, baby. Throw in a scant tsp of thyme. Do the same with marjoram, if you want. I don’t like marjoram, so I leave that out. If you’ve got fresh herbs, you know what to do.

Nothing smells better than onion cooking.

N  o  t  h  i  n  g  .

Add a big can of tomatoes — 28 ozs — juice and all. Your choice. I just use whole unsalted tomatoes and give them a bit of a chop.

Now add broth. 7 cups. Cook’s choice — vegetable, chicken, beef. Homemade. Canned. Organic. Whatever. I used vegetable, canned and unsalted.

Add the star of the recipe — the lentils. I used 1 1/2 cups of dried, rinsed French green lentils. They are smaller, and I like their flavor. Use your lentil of choice. Used canned lentils. Whatever. Rinse ’em, baby.

Bring that lentil goodness to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about an hour. You’re looking for a tender lentil here. Might take more time. Might take less.

Now this is my favorite part. About halfway through the simmering, add 6 ounces of dry white wine. Feel free to pour yourself a glass while you’re at it.

When the soup is simmered to your satisfaction, add salt — I’m partial to kosher — and freshly ground pepper to taste along with some fresh parsley. I didn’t have any. Mine was preparing for a roll in Frozen out in the garden crypt.

Ladle into whatever size bowl you want and serve with a grating of cheddar. Or not.

Do… or do not.

Personally, I’m grating the cheddar.

According to Amazon, Ms. Brody’s book is still in print. You can find it by Googling. Mine is being held together with rubber bands.

And I thank her from the bottom of my heart for what is also my favorite lentil soup.

Here be Hump Day.

Show it some lentil love.

#PulsePledge #LovePulses

Elen