Recipe of Black Caviar Lentils

Chef John's Black Lentil Soup

Add the chopped capers and dress the lentil mixture with the olive oil.

Recipe Summary Chef John's Black Lentil Soup

There's absolutely nothing wrong with green lentil soup, but once you start making it with black ‘beluga' lentils, you'll have a hard time going back. These black beauties cook up melt-in-your-mouth tender, but still retain their structural integrity, which gives the soup both a thick, satisfying body, and a light, non-starchy mouthfeel.

Ingredients | Black Caviar Lentils

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

4 ounces bacon, chopped

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

salt and ground black pepper to taste

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 ¼ cups black beluga lentils

5 cups chicken broth, or as needed

1 bay leaf

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed

Directions

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir bacon in hot oil until bacon is browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion, carrot, celery, and salt; cook and stir until onion is softened and translucent, about 10 minutes. Season with black pepper, cumin, thyme, and cayenne pepper.

Pour lentils into bacon mixture and stir to coat completely in rendered bacon fat. Add chicken broth and bay leaf; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook, adding more chicken broth as needed, until lentils are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Add 3 tablespoons parsley and stir. Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle remaining parsley over the top and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

Info | Black Caviar Lentils

prep: 20 mins cook: 1 hr total: 1 hr 20 mins Servings: 4 Yield: 4 servings

TAG : Chef John's Black Lentil Soup

Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes, Soup Recipes, Beans and Peas, Lentil Soup Recipes,