Lentil SoupAt core, lentil soup is just a handful of ingredients. I suppose the barest possible soup could be turned together from lentils, water, and a bit of salt. I would demand other things a necessities to the recipe. At the very least, some onions and some time.
Here is the simplest way we do it. We get out the stout pot, and put it on the stove, and let it get hot. While it fires, we chop some onion: one or two small ones, or maybe one big one. Into the pot goes some oil and then the onions, popping and spitting with the sudden heat. Here, then, is the tricky part: leave them alone.
The idea is to turn those onions in that little bit of oil into caramel. I am of the "no cover and occasionally stir" school, but I fret when in the kitchen. There are others who advocate a lid and no fussing whatsoever. However you do it, do it well. Let the onions bloom brown, until the scents are climbing the stairs.
Have at the ready some (perhaps 1/2 a cup) orange lentils, and four times some (perhaps 2 cups) or water at the ready. Pour a bit of water into the onion pan and as it sizzles away, scrape up the brown stuff on the bottom. Then: add the rest of the water and the lentils. Bring to a gentle simmer, put on the lid, and leave it be for a half an hour or more.
Most welcome on a cool day. Salt to taste.
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