Lentil soup à la Mama

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 500 g lentils, dried lentils
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 2 carrots
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 1 celeriac
• 6 m.-sized potatoes
• 3 tbsp lovage, fresh, chopped
• 2 tbsp marjoram, fresh, chopped
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 2 liters of water
• 1 liter vegetable broth, light
• 2 tbsp oil, neutral
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• Smoked salt (hickory)
• Black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 50 minutes

my mother’s delicious stew

Cook the lentils (which you don’t need to soak) with 2 liters of water in a pressure cooker on high for 10 minutes (in a regular saucepan, they take about 45 minutes). Peel the onions and halve them lengthwise, cut them twice lengthwise, and then cut them crosswise into thin 1/6-ring slices. Heat the oil in a large pot, add the onions, and brown them. They should brown well, but not burn. Peel the carrots, trim and wash the celery and leek. Dice the carrots. Halve the celery and dice one half. There should be about the same number of celery and carrot cubes. Set the other half aside. Trim and discard the hard, dark green part of the leek and the root. Halve the rest and cut into thin rings. Add the chopped vegetables to the onions and let them brown a little. Meanwhile, peel and dice the potatoes. Halve the reserved celery. Pour in the vegetable stock and add the potatoes, the two large pieces of celery, the sugar, and herbs. Press the garlic and stir in. Add a little pepper and a little salt and simmer for about 25 minutes. Add the cooked lentils to the vegetables and season with hickory smoked salt and pepper. Let the stew stand overnight and season again after reheating if necessary. It’s okay if the stew thickens slightly during heating, but be careful not to burn it. Remove the two large pieces of celery before serving.