There’s a storm-a-comin’! Grab the … lentils?

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Lenticchie

A couple of weeks ago, those of us living in this area were treated to a number of weather forecasts warning of an impending snowstorm. Depending on the day and the forecaster, the predicted snowfall ranged from as little as an inch or two to as much as ten inches of the white stuff. When the results vary this greatly, I rarely go out and stock up on supplies to carry me through a blizzard. So long as I’ve got eggs, flour, and cheese, I can make enough pasta to last days — and that doesn’t take into account the food in my freezers. To quote a great American philosopher, “What, me worry?”

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This time around, I found myself in a grocery on Thursday, two days before the first great snow of the year was to hit. I bought my regular items without giving the forecasts a second thought. At one point, I was in the bulk food area looking for seeds for Lucy, my parrot, when I stumbled upon French green lentils. (These aren’t Puy lentils but I’ll take what I can get.) I bought some thinking that one day I’d use them to prepare and blog about my family’s method of cooking lentils. That was the plan.

Come Saturday morning, the storm was hitting the southern part of Illinois and headed for Chicago. Forecasts were now saying we’d get 5 or 6 inches before the storm passed on. This usually means that I would be spending an hour or so clearing snow from my walk, as well as those of my neighbors. (They’re all retirees and I hate to see them out there, shovel in hand, clearing their walks.) I remembered how nice it is to come into my kitchen, having just finished my snow removal duties, and smelling a pot of soup on the stove. That’s it. I’d make a pot of soup.

Well, apparently, I had used the last of the chicken stock the week before when I made risotto. Worse, I’d used the last of the chicken bones, along with my vegetable clippings, to make that stock. I was just about to give up the idea of making soup when I saw the lentils on my countertop. This will work. The ingredients for today’s recipe were all in supply in my kitchen, except for the thyme. I thought of that when I went into the yard to make sure everything was stored before the big storm arrived.

As luck would have it, the vegetable stock was ready and although there was rain, there was no snow. I waited a couple of hours and still no snow. I went ahead and cooked the lentils — still no snow. I ate my dinner and eventually about an inch of snow fell, none of which “stuck” to the walks.

All told, it was a pretty good day: my home carried the aroma of stock simmering on the stove; I enjoyed a comforting lentil dinner; and, I didn’t need to go out and deal with any snow whatsoever. May our weather men’s predictions for snow always fall short, just as they did that Saturday afternoon.

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Stormy Lentils 2

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Stormy Lentils Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (190 g) French green lentils
  • 6 cups (1420 ml) vegetable stock, separated, more or less to taste (see Notes)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil plus more if needed
  • 2 Bartolini sausage patties (about 8 oz; 225 g) — link sausages may be substituted, skin removed
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped small
  • 1 small onion, chopped small
  • 1 carrot, chopped small
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
  • red pepper flakes, to taste – optional
  • 1 small can (14.5 oz; 411 g) diced tomatoes
  • thyme to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Pick through the lentils removing any small pebbles or grit that you may find. Rinse them under cold running water. Drain.
  2. Place the lentils in a medium sauce pan and cover with 1 quart (950 ml) of vegetable stock. Bring to a boil over med-high heat before lowing to a soft simmer.
  3. Meanwhile, place the sausage meat into a frying pan over med-high heat. As it cooks, use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small pieces.
  4. After about 5 minutes, add the onion, carrot, and celery. You may need to add a bit more oil to moisten the pan. Continue to sauté until the vegetables are cooked but still al dente – about 7 to 10 minutes.
  5. Add the garlic and optional red pepper flakes. Continue cooking for another minute.
  6. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of vegetable stock, and the thyme, if using. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
  7. As the lentils cook, use a large spoon to remove any foam that may surface in the liquid.
  8. After simmering for 30 minutes, clear the remaining foam from the surface and pour the lentils and liquid into the pot with the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil before covering and reducing to a simmer.
  9. After 15 minutes, check the lentils. If too dry, add more vegetable stock. If too soupy, keep uncovered and allow some of the excess liquid to boil off. The dish is ready when the lentils are cooked and the consistency you prefer.
  10. Serve immediately and if I’m seated at the table, have some grated Pecorino Romano nearby.

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Stormy Lentils 3

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Notes

No need to run to a store to buy vegetable stock. Into a medium size sauce pan, place one quartered onion, 2 roughly chopped celery stalks, 2 roughly chopped carrots, a few parsley stems, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and a quartered tomato or 1 – 2 tbsp tomato paste. Fill with water, bring to a boil, and then lower to a soft simmer. Continue to cook for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Season lightly with salt and pepper before straining the vegetables. You will easily have enough stock for this recipe. Refrigerate whatever stock is left over.

Before bringing to the table, add as much stock as you prefer. This can be served relatively dry or with enough stock to resemble a soup.

You may notice that leftover lentils will absorb whatever stock is left in the bowl. Use the refrigerated stock to moisten the lentils when you reheat them.

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What’s this? More bad weather on the way?

While this recipe sat innocently in the queue waiting to be posted, an arctic blast Ham Hocks 1descended upon sweet home Chicago. As luck would have it, I had just bought ham hocks at the grocery the day before. So, as the temperatures dropped, there was a pot of vegetable stock simmering on the stove, to be replaced by a pot of lentils later in the day. This time, however, with its use of ham hocks, the recipe is the same as the one prepared by my family years ago. Comfort and nostalgia served in one bowl.

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It’s déjà vu all over again …

Brodo flashback

As was implied above, our current weather means it’s time for soup. With that in mind, I’m sending you back to Mom’s broth recipe, her brodo. That one pot of stock would be used to make noodle soup, risotto, gravies, and, of course, to soothe our upset tummies. You can learn all about this wonder broth by clicking HERE.

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Coming soon to a monitor near you …

Smothered Pork Chops

Smothered Pork Chops

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109 thoughts on “There’s a storm-a-comin’! Grab the … lentils?”

    • They really do make me laugh. All they do now is watch forecast models and report on them. Gone are the weathermen who actually understood weather patterns. I look at the weather maps and decide for myself.
      I just love the aroma that fills my kitchen when there’s a pot of soup on the stove. I don’t mind having to keep the windows closed for 5 months. 🙂

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  2. It seems the snow always comes when the forecast predicts 1-2inches..I do love being snowed in. I always feel so secure and cozy. With the addition of this soup, I could even feel full! Love walking into the kitchen when a pot of soup is on. Not only does it smell good, but it makes it warm and steamy!

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    • I’m with you Abbe. Few things are more welcoming than walking into a kitchen from outdoors and there’s a pot of soup simmering. It would be even better if there were a loaf of bread baking in the oven but let’s be realistic. 🙂

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    • I like soup year-round, Laura, but in winter I want them more hearty. Lentils are perfect for this. And they can be prepared in so many ways. I’ve still got more lentils stashed away so I know I’ll be putting up another pot. Yay!

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  5. Bouno sera John! Don’t you just love weather forecasters…they try any way they can to make it sound exciting with an epic storm and cause a panic for no reason. My goodness we have all seen white stuff before. LOL Glad you did not cause panic in the kitchen for not having all of your ingredients to make this delicious and simple lentil stew and made a delicious homemade vegetable stock. I bet your homemade Bartolini sausages made this delicious dish–super delicious.

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    • Buona sera, BAM! Thank you so much! I really do love our sausage. We never use fennel seed when we make it and that means the sausage can be used almost universally — and believe me, I do. 🙂
      I just watched the weather and they’re forecasting a high of 60˚ on Friday. If they are to be right only 1 day in February, let it be this Friday. Maybe I should say a rosary …

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  6. Your weather predicitions sound rather like the tide timetable apps I have so that I can decide when to walk the dogs at low tide…I often find myself faced with a rapidly incoming tide but two pups who are eager to get down onto that wet and sandy beach! Anyhow…back to the gorgeous food. You know we love our lentils here Chez Chica and Big Man and I have to say this is pretty much how we do them too so I can imagine exactly how home smelt (smelled?) and how wonderful it tasted. Will have to make your Sausage patties though as we use chorizo (but we’ve already had that conversation!). Lovely photo of those lentils – very professional 🙂 Stay warm my friend, because if the snow doesn’t come, it could be windy what with the lentils 😉 (Sorry, couldn’t resist!)

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    • Ha! I blame any wind on the dog. Like he’s going to object.
      I think all forecasters, whether they be concerned with weather or tide, are there to make us feel like we know and, therefore, control our environment in some way. Ha!
      It’s kind of funny. You’re thinking of lentils with our sausage and I’m thinking about them with your chorizo. The sausage is always better on the other side of the fence, or so I’ve heard. 😉

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  7. very good lentil dish indeed. I’m glad you mentioned the need to watch out for grit or tiny stones when preparing the lentils. The packaging of Puy lentils has been very gentrified over the years and the current boxes that I buy are completely pebble and stone free…which makes me wonder..are they the real thing? One of the things that I make sure that I do when preparing green or Puy lentils is to rinse them and then put them in a pan and just cover them with cold water. Bring this very quickly to the boil and then, immediately, tip them into a sieve under a cold tap….a lot of black water comes off them. I usually do this twice and then start cooking my onions and base vegetables; when they’re softened I then mix in the lentils and add the stock.

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    • I cook with beans quite often and alway check for grit. It is very rare that I find anything. Thanks, Roger, for the tip preparing the lentils before cooking. I’ve got more lentils and there’s plenty of cold weather yet to come. I’ll certainly have the opportunity give it a try. 🙂

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  8. Excellent and perfect for the cold weather!
    On a whim, I stuck lentils in the pressure cooker with sausages and vegetables (many years ago), much to the disgust of my ex-wife. However, it turned out really well and she actually enjoyed it!

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  14. We had some snow to shovel on Sunday (not much — a couple of inches of light stuff), and later this week it’s supposed to be 70 degrees. Crazy! Love lentils, particularly in soup. I sometimes even put lentils in my chili! This looks like such a nice, classic soup — thanks.

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    • We’ve been very lucky this year, John, especially witnessing the mess that’s fallen upon the Northeast. It is supposed to reach 60˚ on Friday. 60˚ in mid-February, in Chicago. I could get used to El Niño. I, too, love lentils but I sometimes forget about them. Then. after several months without, I rediscover them and go on a binge. I’m on one now and loving it!.. Have a great week, John. If we’re hitting 60˚, you’ll have beach weather, I’m sure. 🙂

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    • I’ve friends that live in the desert Southwest, Glenda. They like to kid me about our “awful” weather and don’t see the irony in their staying indoors because of the heat just as much as we do because of the cold. It all depends on which devil you can put up with. I’ll take the cold.

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    • I read your post and am glad you made it to O’Hare and boarded that plane. By now you should be on your way to Oz and family. Yay!!!
      By the way, they’re forecasting 60˚ for Friday’s high. Unbelievable!

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    • We are very much in agreement, Ronit. There are few dishes as pleasing as a bowl of hearty soup on a wintry day. I am so glad I bought those lentils that afternoon. I would have missed out on a few very good meals. Now, I’ll be sure to keep some on hand always.

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  19. Lentils are one of my favorites. I like the addition of sausage. I add a splash of vinegar just before serving. Seems like often this winter the weatherman calls for impending disaster and phhfffft. nada

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    • Thank heavens the forecasters have been so wrong this season. We’ve still got a few weeks before but things are looking, especially for Friday. El Niño is going to spoil us. 😉
      Thanks for the vinegar tip, That sounds like a great last minute addition, somewhat like lemon or citrus zest with some dishes. I will definitely give it a try. Thanks!

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  20. Thanks for posting this! I am still dabbling in my Great Bean (or Lentil) Experiment which is not going that well, but I’m always willing to try again. I’ve not gone into Lentil territory yet, but this combination sounds wonderful – whether it’s a snowy day or not.

    Thanks also for posting your method for making vegetable stock. I never think of making stock unless I have chicken bones, for some reason. Do you ever freeze your vegetable stock?

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    • You’re most welcome, Ruth. I do love lentils and this is a great way to prepare them. This vegetable stock is a quick way to make a stock and I’d rather use a quart of this than plain water. I don’t peel the onions or the garlic. I just quarter the onion and smash the garlic. If I have a parsnip, I’ll put it in there, too. THe bottom line is that it saves me a run to the store. Whenever I go into the grocery for 1 item, like some stock, I come out with at east one bag stuffed with groceries. 🙂

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  21. What is going on with our weather? You are freezing at one end of the country, and we are having record high heat at this end. Lentils are great in anything, but especially in this ‘stormy lentils’ dish. It is so comforting, filling and oh so tasty! 🙂

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    • I know, Fae. The weather has been so weird this ear. Friday our high is supposed to be 60˚, maybe higher. It’s mid-February in Chicago!!! We agree, too, about lentils. They sure do make a tasty, comforting dish. Thanks for taking the time to corment, Fae.

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  22. Heat wave days are pretty much over here, John, but it’s going to be around 33 degrees Celsius next week. I still would love to make your lentil dish. I can eat lentils all year round (often add them to vegetable soups). What about this dish for a vegetarian? Can you suggest what I can add if it’s not the famed Bartolini sausage?

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    • That’s a tough one,Mary. If you lived here, I’d suggest Field Roast products. They’re vegetarian and available at Whole Foods. They’re surprisingly tasty, too. If you wish to go without a substitute, you could try using the spices you’d like in your sausage — i.e., sage, garlic, fennel seed, maybe hot pepper flakes. Even so, you’d be missing the texture that the meat lends to the dish. A few baby portabellas, chopped, might work for you. I wish I could be of more help but I have little practice with vegetarian dishes. I tried the vegetarian lifestyle some 20 years ago. I lasted about 6 months and I refer to that period as my “Summer of Hell”. 🙂

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      • I have a vegetarian son, John, so I’m always interested. Thanks for the suggestion. It might interest you to know that I made your dish for my non vegetarian mum last night. I do a lot of cooking for her these days so am looking for new ideas. She loved it. So did I.

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        • So glad to hear that you both enjoyed the dish, Mary. The good thing about it is that it freezes well. When I visit Zia, I make a big batch and freeze much of it. She can easily defrost and heat it long after my visit has ended.

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  23. A delightful soup the name of which suddenly makes sense 🙂 ! I’ m glad you use homemade ‘sausages’ for the ‘meaty’ part: yes, still too much fat to have more than occasionally, but at least it lacks all of the other sausage baddies!! These days I get around using lean but juicy kangaroo meat patties in such cases and shall try yours like that also: not very italiano, I am afraid!! I know of one reason the Bureau of Meteorology overstates adverse events. In Australia a few years back they did not believe a particular East Coast Low would cause as much damage as it did – there were a number of class actions against the Bureau and its lack of ‘duty of care’ – I have noticed ours overstating the happenings a number of times lately . . . better that way than the opposite . . . oh, my Dad was a great meteorologist : guess who learned from about age three instead of playing with dollies 😀 !!

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    • My sausage intake — even homemade — has been greatly reduced and the spiralizer has helped me to reduce the amount of meat in my diet, too. My diet is not nearly as “clean” as yours but I’m happy with the way things are going.
      How bad was the low on the East Coast and how badly forecast if people sued? Years ago, I heard of people threatening to sue the National Weather Service when they failed to warn of a tornado but I do not know if they did sue or were successful. Seems like a losing proposition to me. There are just too many variables to consider and, with a tornado, conditions can develop in minutes. Anyway, your Dad was a meteorologist? How cool! I didn’t have dollies but I would have hung up my baseball mitt to learn about weather. I’ve always been fascinated with it and love to watch storms roll in. 🙂

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      • Thanks for all this . . . am back 🙂 ! Don’t remember the details any more ’cause I live 40 kms inland and we just had deluges for two days and winds about 100 kms . . . I think central P came down to about 970 only, but the system was supposed to be about 50-60 kms offshore moving away instead of bumping into it: there were a few deaths but most of the problems were with the beach erosions and so many houses falling over cliffs etc. Huge insurance payouts companies did not want to make . . .And no, Dad was the Prosecutor of the Higher Military Court of Estonia not a metero guy, but that was his chief interest outside of work and he even studied in Germany and England . . . and since you still have to take me to my first ballgame I certainly have never had a bat in my hand . . . 🙂 ! Never liked dollies either !!! But I can read both weather maps and clouds 😀 !!

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  24. I’m starting to feel sorry for the poor meteorologists! I guess they’re getting it wrong across the country! I have good Southern California friends experiencing their first midwestern winter and I’m following their “survival” in these snow storms. I must say that even in warm weather I love lentils. I love them so much that I often don’t do a thing with them, so your recipe inspires me to take the extra steps and I am sure I’d be really thrilled. I feel like lentils are so healthy and can be a soup or just a wonderful bowl of warm goodness! 🙂 I haven’t seen tomatoes added before, and I really like that idea. I think I have some green lentils in the cupboard and I am really eager to give this “full version” a try! Stay warm!!

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    • This would be the kind of year that would make more than a few meteorologists wish they’d chosen another profession, to be sure. Although we’ve had some snow and cold weather, it’s not nearly as bad as what has been going on back East. We are supposed to hit 60˚ on Friday!!! Your weather, on the other hand, seems equally unpredictable. With temperatures so high now, what will your summer be like?
      Like you, I do enjoy lentils and I am so happy I stumbled upon them that afternoon. I hope you do prepare and enjoy this dish. It can be easily adapted to suit your tastes. Our sausage does not include fennel seed and you might want to consider that when choosing the sausage for the dish. Beyond that, if you like things spicy, choose a sausage with some heat to it. As always, I’m here if you’ve any questions. Have a good week, Debra.

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  25. John – this is perfect for those cold winter days (storm or no storm). I love green lentils, Puy or otherwise. There are also some fabulous small lentils from Umbria, although they are not green. Lentils here in Greece are fantastic, but tend to be the big brown type. Amazing that they all have slightly different tastes.

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    • Maybe you and I could have our own, personal time-share arrangement. You come here and stay in my home for 2 weeks in February and I’ll stay in your home. Best of all, you’ll have Max to keep you warm in bed and Lucy to squawk whenever you leave the room. All this and plenty of snow, too! Let me know. 🙂

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      • OK, you two! That time-share sounds just great in many was: some absolutely selfish!! I can get up to Brissie and meet John at long last . . . . and I still remember the area well enough from all my years in the Northern Rivers to show him around . . . ‘course I have wanted to met Max also and would miss that . . . well, not necessarily to share bodily warmth, but . . .

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  27. I’m pretty sure everyone in the U.S. has heard the embarrassingly true stories (thanks to Saturday Night Live) of what happens here in Atlanta and in Georgia when the “S” word is mentioned. The shelves are cleared of water, milk and bread so fast that you’d think someone had waved a magic wand. Even if all it does is rain, children will get out there sleds and try to sled on grass. It’s kinda sad. I think a bowl of this fabulous lentil soup would taste amazing on one of those cold and rainy days. I love that you put sausage in it! 🙂 I’ve been following Jacques Pépin’s idea of keeping all veggie scraps in my freezer and then making a veggie stock whenever I reach capacity. So good and so much better than purchased. My last batch had red cabbage in it so the stock was purple! Still tasted good though and the color could be corrected with a tiny bit of tomato paste. 😉

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    • Hello, Betsy. I’ve a friend who recently returned to Nashville to be with his ailing mother. All winter, he’s been reporting to the locals’ response to a little bit of snow. I guess you might say he’s having a hard time readjusting. 🙂
      I, too, save all of my veggie scraps. I get such a richly flavored soup that way. I’ve found that if I do not peel my onions, I’ll get a darker colored broth. Just recently I made cabbage soup but have never use red. Hmm … I should give it a sometime. Like you, I always add a bit of tomato of some sort to the pot. Mom said she did it “for color”. 🙂

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  29. This is what I live about winter too, even if it doesn’t get as cold here! Lentil soups and stews are my favorite, so hearty, healthy and delicious. We lucked out and had no winter storms here. A few flakes a while back but it was on the weekend so no school cancelled. That being said it was funny to see the store. I was there for a normal trip and there were big empty spots near the chips, soda, beer, wine, milk and bread!

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    • I agree, Gretchen. For me, the best thing about Winter is the food. No matter was is set before me, I rationalize that I must eat it because it will help me fight the bitter cold. That sure was the case this winter, even though ours was relatively mild. We had some snow and some bitter cold but nothing like what we’ve come to expect, In no way did the warmer temps affect my comfort food consumption. I have to be ready just in case the foul weather returns. 🙂

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  30. It surely was a rude awakening last Tuesday at 11pm upon our arrival back home from Arizona! And the slap on the face was that we did have to shovel because we actually got about 6″! Simmering stock is just about the best aroma ever and I usually have a pot going every week! Your family lentil soup recipe looks wonderful, I love the sausage addition, makes it so hearty. Now I’m off to see the brodo recipe.

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    • Yeah, I remember those return flights from a winter vacation. The plane takes off and the landscape below is a beautiful green, then it turns to brown, and then the white creeps in. That first blast of cold air is every bit as startling as that first warm breeze felt after landing at the start of the holiday. Even so, you did get away and had a taste of the “good life”. I do hope you guys can get away for a month next year. Wouldn’t that be nice?

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  31. We’ve been going through a lentil phase here, and I am glad to see your recipe. Love the sausage addition (gives the veggie broth some oomph!), and will have to check out your sausage recipe as well. Glad you only got an inch… I remember those winters well, and the frenzy on stocking up. Like you intimated, we could last for weeks off our condiments and things in our freezer!

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    • Thanks, David. I think you’ll find that our family sausage recipe is ver much like many traditional recipes. Not all Italian sausage is either hot or sweetened by fennel seed. That’s what’s great about ours. If you wish to add something, you can do it without having to alter the recipe in the slightest.
      Yes, there’s something about a bowl of lentil soup on a cold day that is so very satisfying. I was lucky to find those 2 sausage patties in my freezer. I don’t know what I would have found in there had there been no sausage. I’ve not been to the very back in quite some time. 🙂

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    • I so agree. As I just wrote, there’s something about a steaming bowl of lentils on a cold wintry day. I’ve some in the freezer just in case an unexpected cold front descends upon us. That’s almost a given being it’s still February.

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  34. What a lovely lentil soup. Something similar happened to me during the last storm…no chicken stock, no lots of stuff I’d normally grab for, but alas, I found vegetable stock and got creative with what I had on hand. I was surprised by how resourceful I could be just by having practiced for a while. This look so flavorful and warming. Perfect for the weather these days.

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    • Thanks, Amanda. I don’t know what it is about a lentil dish but they sure do “work” when the weather is nasty. Right now, we’re bracing for another winter storm, due to arrive tonight. Lucky for me, I froze some of these lentils just for the occasion. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

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  35. I’m with you. I love the way the house smell on a cold day with a pot of stock and then soup cooking on the stovetop. Sorry you didn’t get the snow, but if Illinois is like New Mexico, we’ll take every drop of moisture we can get – rain or snow. Very nice soup John!

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    • Thank you, MJ. That storm may have missed us but there’s another on the way for later this evening. This is why I make large batches of things. I’ve a couple quarts of this soup stashed away in the freezer. At least one will be called into action sometime during the next 24 hours. 🙂

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  36. How lovely that you help out your neighbours shovelling the snow for them! I hope the storm didn’t cause too much trouble. This lentil dish sounds perfect for such a weather though. I’ve got all the ingredients and this weekend it should rain… guess what? I’ll be making me some lentils 😉

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    • We were fortunate and that storm went to our south. We got very little snow. We’ve got another storm coming this evening, however, and I’ve still got some lentils in my freezer that are there for just such an occasion. I do hope you made lentils and that you found them as comforting as I did during your storms. 🙂

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  37. The blizzard that hit the Northeast missed my area by about 10 miles, we only got a coating, not complaining.
    Definitely comfort soup especially this time of year. Now that you got me craving lentil soup lentils is now on my shopping list..

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    • That was an awful storm, Norma. How lucky that it missed you! You’re not the only one going shopping for lentils after reading this post. It’s more evidence of the power of the written word. 🙂

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  39. ohhhhhhhhhhhh non sapevo che le lenticchie fossero un piatto da abbinare alle tempeste, haha!!! a parte gli scherzi le lenticchie sono un piatto gustoso, nutriente leggero e digeribile, da noi si usa cucinarlo al cenone dell’ultimo giorno dell’anno perché si dice che portino fortuna, il tuo modo di presentarlo mi ha molto interessato.grazie
    spero che anche da te stia arrivando la primavera e che scacci tutte le tempeste, qui siè anticipata e i primi alberi da fiore sono già sgargianti nei giardini
    ti auguro una bella serata, a presto

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    • Hello, Ventis. I hope that this means that you’re feeling better. WordPress is not the same without you.
      I knew that lentils are a traditional New Years Eve dish, although my family never prepared them. No matter. I do enjoy them throughout all of winter.
      I will be coming to Italy in late April to visit my family in San Marino. After our visit, we’ll be going to Rome for a few days. I hope that spring is in full bloom by then. It will look beautiful, I’m sure. Take care and have a great week.

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      • caro amico ti ringrazio per il pensiero rivolto alla stabilità del mio braccio, in effetti sto andando alla grande anche se ancora non sono guarita
        San Marino è un luogo incantevole! sei fortunato ad avere laggoiù parenti
        Roma in primavera è più bella di sempre, spero che trovandosi non lontano da Roma potrai anche andare ad ammirare la straordinariaq Civita di Bagnoregio, sono certo rimarrai emozionato!
        un sorriso

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        • I am glad to hear that your arm is doing better, Ventis, and hope that soon it will be completely healed.
          My nephew will be traveling with me on this trip. He has never been abroad and I’ve let him decide what we will do and see. Although we probably will not make it to Civita di Bagnoregio during this trip, I will definitely see it when I get back to Italy. It is just the kind of village I enjoy visiting when I’m in Italy.
          I hope you have a wonderful week.

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  41. Mm this looks delicious John!! I love French Green lintels and always keep them in the pantry. In Texas we always get the most snow when the weather man says it’s “not” going to snow… It’s like the weather does it just out of spite.
    I’m going to be in Chicago this weekend for the International Housewares Show (so excited!!) do you have any great Italian restaurants to recommend?

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    • Hello, Mel. Yes, lentils are meant for cold, unpleasant weather. They’re a stick to your bones kinda meal.
      There are a number of good Italian restaurants here in town. Where will you be staying and will you have a car or rely on cabs or public transportation? Why don’t we switch this conversation to email? Send our answers to me at CHGOJOHN@gmail.com and I’ll try to help you out.

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  42. I love lentil soup. One of the best and nutritious soups to have all year long. You made it look so hearty and delicious it’s making me drool; definitely perfect for winter season, especially during snow storm 🙂
    It’s so nice of you to help out your neighbor. They’re very blessed to have you live next door.
    We experienced a pretty bad blizzard here in Virginia this year. I wish I could share some photos. It was by far the worst winter I’ve ever experienced since we moved here. My husband complains whenever there’s a snow storm because he knows I’d go nuts stocking up our pantry. 😀 Anyway, I’m glad you survived it. 😀

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    • Hello, Anna. I see we’re in agreement about lentils. I love them!
      We were lucky and the storm passed just south of us. I’ve a cousin that lives in Virginia and heard about that blizzard’s impact. We were to get hit by a snowstorm today but, thankfully, it passed to our east. We got about an inch of snow and I had it all cleared in about 45 minutes. Not to worry. There’s another one forecast for Thursday. Let’s hope this one misses us. too. 🙂

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  43. I really love lentils.It doesn’t matter how they’re made, I just love them. This one of yours is extra special because of the sausages. It’s a great addition. I have some left over flat bread from last night. I’m sure it would go so well with this dish of yours. If wishes were horses, I would have this for lunch right now with my flatbread. Enjoy the week!

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    • Welcome and thank you so much. The quick stock is something I’ve watched my Zia do for years. Granted, it’s not the same as a stock made and simmered for hours but this one will do in a pinch and is so much better than plain water. Best of all, it doesn’t require a run to the grocery.
      Thanks for the visit and for taking the time to comment.

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  45. Ooh, I love a lentil soup, snowstorm or not! The addition of the sausage is genius. If I may say so, one of my genius touches is a splash of white wine (some in the soup, some in my glass, lol). Here’s to a forecast that brings all the drama and anticipation of a big storm, but without the big storm!

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    • If we lived closer together, Mar, we could be the best of friends. I, too, believe in a bit of booze for the pot and a bit for me. I find it works wonders for both food and cook. You always post such delicious lentil recipes on your blog that I knew you would like this dish. I’ve still got another quart in the freezer waiting for a storm that hasn’t arrived. I’m hoping I’ve still got it in May. Lentils on a spring morning sounds lovely. 🙂

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  46. Pingback: Slow-Cooker Pork Belly Ramen | from the Bartolini kitchens

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