This week I started a tumblr blog. I am adding pictures and short summaries daily, at least for now, of things that stand out in my day. I am also adding links to recipes of any food pics that I post. Feel free to stop by as often as you wish to see what Thomas, Anna and I have been up to lately. There is a link to my short form blog on the right under the tumblr category. Thomas has also stared a photo blog on tumblr and is attempting the 365 project. I think it’s pretty neat to construct a picture montage of the whole year one day at a time.
I made two soups this week. Both with lentils, one with brown and one red. We finished the lentil soup with escarole already and the curried red lentil soup which you will find a recipe for in this post is almost gone… A good soup is a great thing to have on a cold winter day, especially one that you will want to eat day after day, if you make a large pot like I always do!
Pot of Lentil Soup with Escarole
The weather here has been pretty seasonably warm though I have to say. We have been taking long walks and not freezing after the first five minutes like most walks in February usually amount to.
A walk along the Rhine in Königswinter
Anna and me
We have had sunny skies and no rain (or snow) and the flowers are actually starting to poke their heads up out of the cold, wet ground showing off their colorful blooms already.
First Flowers
I think we are having a sort of mock spring here in Germany and I am bracing myself for some more cold weather to come by making a warm and hearty pot of soup each week to stave off the residual cold that still lingers in the winter air.
Lentil Soup with Escarole
500 grams brown lentils
1 large onion
4 celery stalks
3 carrots
1 bunch escarole
2 liters or about 8 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
about 6 tablespoons olive oil
Put enough oil in the bottom of a dutch oven or soup pot to cover and heat on medium-high heat. Chop the onion and add it to the pot when the oil is hot. Stir occasionally while chopping the carrots and celery then add them to the pot. Continue to stir every now and then until the vegetables have wilted about 5-7 minutes. While they are cooking sort through the lentils to make sure there are no stones. When the vegetables are ready add the lentils and then add the broth. Stir and bring the soup to a simmer. While the soup is cooking stir it occasionally and clean and cut the escarole into pieces. Allow the soup to simmer with the lid partially on for about 30-40 minutes or until the lentils are almost tender and then add the escarole to the pot. Cook until the escarole has wilted, another 10-20 minutes.
“Come join Soup-a-Palooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by Bush’s Beans, Hip Hostess, Pillsbury and Westminster Crackers”
The Artful Gardener 