The Houndstooth Gourmet

 

Many foods are eaten on New Year’s day with the hope that they bring us good luck for the rest of the year. In Italy, lentils are eaten because they symbolize money. Cotechino con lentichie is  a traditional dish of sausage over lentils. The sausage is thought to symbolize abundance with it’s fatty richness. In hopes of inspiring you to make your own New Years traditional meal (perhaps you already have one), here is a soup with combines lentils with kielbasa, a Polish sausage, reflecting my husband’s Italian heritage and my Polish roots.

Lentil Soup with Kielbasa

Ingredients

1 lb. lentils rinsed 

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion diced small

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 carrot diced 1/4″

3 large leaves kale chopped fine

1/2-3/4 lb. smoked kielbasa diced 1/2″

3 bay leaves

2 tsp. cumin

2 cups diced tomatoes, drained

1-32 oz. box chicken broth

6 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Over medium high heat, add olive oil to large pot. Add onions and carrots. Saute 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and stir to combine. Cook mixture an additional 2 minutes. Add cumin and stir to coat. To pot, add lentils, chicken stock, water, bay leaves, 1 tbsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Add kale, kielbasa and tomatoes. Simmer covered an additional 45 minutes, or until lentils are soft. Salt and pepper to taste.Remove bay leaves.

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Tags: Kale, Lentils, soup, Recipe //