Rice soup with lentils – Minestra di riso

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 40 g lentils, brown
• 100 g water
• 50 g long grain rice
• 100 g water, warm
• 6 g chicken stock powder
• 300 g water
• 30 g bacon, streaky, smoked
• 4 small onions, red
• 2 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 150 g tomatoes
• 3 pinches of black pepper
• 1 pinch of nutmeg, freshly grated
• 3 tbsp celery leaves
• n. B. flowers and leaves

Instructions

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

A hearty and flavorful soup for a snack. Recipe from the province of Umbria, 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 set aside. Simmer the lentils in the spring water for 15 minutes in a 2-liter covered casserole dish. Once the water boils, stir in 2g of the chicken stock. In the meantime, finely dice the bacon. Trim both ends of the onions and garlic cloves, peel, and chop into small pieces. Wash the fresh celery, shake dry, and pick off and chop the unblemished leaves. Use 3 tablespoons of this immediately and freeze the remaining leaves. Measure out frozen goods and thaw. Cut the unblemished stalks crosswise into approximately 3mm wide rolls and freeze in portions. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stalks, skin, quarter lengthwise, and remove the green stem base and seeds. Halve the quarters crosswise. Heat the sunflower oil in a pan and fry the bacon cubes until fragrant. Add the onions and garlic cloves and fry for 1 minute. Deglaze with the water and dissolve the remaining chicken stock in it. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle with the rice, pepper, and nutmeg. 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 stock with vegetable stock and the bacon with 1-2 drops of liquid smoke (e.g., from Kostrowok).