Oma’s Lentil Soup

November 7, 2017

My mom has made the best lentil soup for as long as I can remember. It was a staple winter meal, with a slice of freshly baked bread.

This brings back warm wintery memories… sledding in the front field, skating on the pond (and the occasional break through the ice), Christmas baking, chocolate making, fire crackling, waiting for St. Nic to knock on the door…. He still causes a bit of healthy fear and butterflies, even in my 40’s – you never know what he’s going to say!

Aaaah, but I digress. Back to the soup.

My kids now ask for Oma’s lentil soup, and usually I wait for her to visit and then it’s on the wish list for one of the meals.

A few weeks ago Hannah was helping me meal plan for Big Batch Cooking and Oma’s lentil soup was on the list. I knew there wasn’t a recipe for it, because all of my mom’s cooking and my dad’s baking is done by taste and texture. I come by it honestly. So Hannah called Oma to get the best approximates, and then Hannah made it while I recorded all the adjustments until it we decided it was perfect.

It turned out just like my mom’s (which is safe to say, as it’s probably slightly different every time!), and now we actually have a recipe!

This recipe makes about 8 litres, so about 24 servings? You can add more liquid if it’s too thick for your liking.

Oma’s Lentil Soup

2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 stalks celery, diced
2 tbsp butter or bacon drippings (from good quality bacon)
6 carrots, shredded
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
2 bay leaves
4 cups dried lentils, pre-soaked for at least 12 hours, and rinsed
2 large potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes (approximately) *see note at bottom
4 litres bone broth (beef or chicken – beef will be a richer flavour)
5 tsp unrefined salt (add more to taste after it’s simmered for a bit, and sausage will add more salt and flavour too)
2 tsp ground black pepper (less or more to taste)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Smoked sausage – about 2lb? Watch label to avoid preservatives, msg, corn syrup solids, soy, etc.
Fresh chopped parsley or green onion