Lentil Soup

I feel terrible that I have not written on our site for a long time, but the truth is I have not been cooking as much at home and have now begun doing more cooking. I think it might be the weather or the fact that I am trying to diet. Whatever the reason may be, I made lentil soup! I made the recipe up as I went along and it turned out DELICIOUS! Despite the picture, it is tasty. I recommend to be served with a side of cornbread. Perfect for a rainy, cold, winter day!


Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 Sicilian turkey sausages (I buy them from Trader Joe's, you can use Italian sausage also)
1/2 link of chorizo
1 cup of diced carrots
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of diced yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 lb of brown lentils (rinsed)
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
salt
pepper
1 large can (49.5 fl oz) of low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons of Cabernet vinegar (red wine vinegar will do)

In a large pot heat up the olive oil and then add in the inside of the sausage so that little clumps of sausage are sauteing in the oil. Do the same for the choirzo and once the sausage is 2/3 of the way cooked remove from the pot using a slotted spoon, reserving the oil and grease in the pan.

Add to the hot leftover grease and oil the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Once these items have sweat and appear to be glass like add in the lentils, coating them with all the juices and oil from the pot. Continue to cook for a few minutes until all of the lentils have been coated. Next, add in thyme and bay leaf along with the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Once all of the ingredients have been stirred and herbs evenly distributed, slowly add in the chicken broth. I would add in a quarter of a can at a time and then turn down the heat to a medium low, so that the contents are able to simmer and not boil. Cook for about 40 minutes, stirring gently and not as often as you feel like.