Beluga lentil soup with rice and tomatoes

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 60 g beluga lentils
• 100 g water
• 40 g long grain rice
• 100 g water, warm
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 g chicken stock powder
• 300 g water
• 20 g bacon, streaky, smoked
• 6 small onions, red
• 4 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 m.-large tomato(s)
• 1 small chili pepper(s), green, fresh
• 2 tbsp celery leaves
• 2 tbsp pesto rosso, (see appendix)
• n. B. flowers and leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Rest time approx. 8 hours 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 9 hours 30 minutes

A hearty and flavorful soup for a snack. Recipe from the province of Calabria, Italy.

Soak the lentils in 100g of water overnight. Wash the rice until the rinse water runs clear, strain, and drain. Soak in 100g of warm water for 30 minutes, then strain and fry with the olive oil for 5 minutes and set aside. Simmer the lentils in the spring water in a covered casserole dish for 15-20 minutes. Once the water is boiling, stir in 2g of the chicken stock. Test for doneness after 10 minutes. Repeat this every 5 minutes. As soon as the lentils are tender, stop cooking. In the meantime, chop the bacon into small cubes. Trim both ends of the onions and garlic cloves, peel them, and chop them into small pieces. Wash the fresh celery, shake it dry, and pick off any unblemished leaves and chop them. Use 2 tablespoons of this immediately and freeze the remaining leaves. Measure frozen goods and let them thaw. Cut the unblemished stems crosswise into approximately 3 mm wide rolls and freeze in portions. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, peel them, quarter them lengthwise, and discard the green stem base and seeds. Halve the quarters crosswise. Wash the small green chili, slice them lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut them crosswise into thin strips. Discard the stem and seeds. Heat the sunflower oil in a pan and fry the bacon cubes until fragrant. Add the small onions and garlic cloves and fry for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the water and dissolve the remaining chicken stock. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle in the rice and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the tomatoes. Turn off the heat and let the rice swell with the lid on for 20 minutes. Add the lentils and their stock. Season the soup with salt and pepper, bring to a boil briefly, and add the celery leaves. Ladle the finished soup into serving bowls, garnish as desired, serve, and enjoy. Note: Vegans can replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and the bacon with 1-2 drops of liquid smoke (e.g., Kostrowok). For Pesto rosso, see: https://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/3900541594283148/Rote-Pizzapaste-Pesto-rosso.html