Warming Food

This week has been chilly and rainy, so we leaned toward warm, filling recipes to keep us going.

Chunky Lentil Soup
1 1/4 cups green French or black beluga lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups diced butternut squash (spoon-sized!)
1 can (28-oz) crushed tomatoes (I used fire-roasted)
1 cup water or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
Pinch of smoked paprika or pure chile powder

Torn fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Good-quality olive oil, for garnish

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the squash, tomatoes, and water or vegetable stock, and continue cooking until the squash is tender (about 10 minutes). Drain the lentils and stir them in, along with the salt and smoked paprika or chile powder. Let the soup return to a gentle simmer, then taste and adjust the seasoning if need be.

Serve, topped with the basil, Parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil.

This made a HUGE pot of soup that we're still finishing off after a week. It's one of those good soups that just gets better with time! It's good with and without the extra garnishes, and I also threw in some zucchini that needed to be used. I had paprika in the cabinet, and I think it lends a really nice, subtle twist to the usual lentil soup formula.


Wheat Berry Salad
2 cups soft wheat berries, rinsed
6 cups water
2 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt

3 generous handfuls spinach leaves, stemmed and well-rinsed
1 cup toasted pine nuts (I used walnuts)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (mild is best)

citrus dressing
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the wheat berries, water and 2 teaspoons salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, until plump and chewy (about 1 hour). The berries should stay al dente, and the only way to be sure they're done is to taste a few. Drain and season to taste with more salt. Toss the hot wheat berries with the spinach, to wilt it.

Dressing: Combine the orange zest and juice, lemon juice, and shallot. Whisk in the olive oil and season with a few pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Toss the wheat berries and spinach with the citrus dressing and pine nuts. Season to taste. Serve topped with crumbled feta.

I made the wheat berries in the morning while getting ready for work, and tossed together the rest in the evening when I got home. We also had a couple leftover kumquats, which I seeded and ground into the dressing with a bladed hand mixer -- that added a great tang!

(Recipes from Super Natural Cooking, by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks)