This easy-to-make soup is from the Alsace region of France bordering Germany in the north east. It reflects a fusion of the two cuisines with smoked pork sausages added towards the end of cooking. This is from my mother's recipe book and, as it says, it is a main-meal soup.
Serves 6
1 medium carrot
1 large leek
1 celery stick
1 small onion
75g smoked streaky bacon
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
50g butter
200g red lentils
250g smoked pork sausages
1700ml water
1 tsp salt and ground black pepper
chopped fresh parsley to serve
Chop the carrot, leek and celery into small pieces and slice the bacon into small pieces. I find it easiest to use a pair of scissors! Rinse the lentils, and peel the onion and stud it with the cloves. Alternatively you can chop the onion quite small and add it with the other vegetables.
Heat half the butter in a large saucepan and add the bacon and chopped vegetables. Give them a stir and cook gently until they are starting to soften. Then add the rinsed lentils, onion, bay leaf, salt, pepper and water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Place the sausages in a separate saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool before slicing into bite sized pieces.
If you've used a whole onion, remove it from the pan and roughly chop. Remove the bay leaf and return the onion to the pan with the sliced sausages. Season to taste, stir in the remaining butter and serve sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley and lots of crusty bread.
