A Taste of Home

There is nothing more comforting than a taste of home. During class on Thursday, my ‘Anthropology of Food’ class made a vegan lentil soup. My mom and I used to make lentil soup together all the time, especially in the wintertime. Any piece of home feels good, doesn’t it?

I have never made vegan lentil soup, and it was exciting learning how to make it. It had so many flavors, which would surely satisfy any carnivore or non-vegan. I was hesitant when I saw that the recipe called for 6 cups of water instead of a vegetable broth. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted the soup and it tasted just as good as a soup with vegetable broth used.

After eating three weeks worth of college dorm food, it felt great to be in the kitchen cooking something familiar and something incredibly healthy. It was the first meal that didn’t make me feel weighed down because of heavy oils. I enjoyed the experience of making a vegan dish and eating it.

The recipe is simple and I encourage anyone who has some time to make this soup. It is healthy, easy and tastes great even after being frozen or in the fridge.

Ingredients
1 cup brown lentils
6 cups water
2 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 onion, diced
¼ c olive oil
½ c tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
2 potatoes, diced
2 T red wine vinegar
½ c red wine
salt and pepper

Make the soffritto with the celery, onion and carrot in the olive oil. The red wine vinegar may be added as well, along with the garlic. Sauté the ingredients in the olive oil low heat until soft for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Make the soup with adding the 6 cups of water to the soffritto, bring it to a boil, and then add all of the other ingredients. Reduce the heat and cover it partially for 30 minutes, and then you’ll have a lovely soup to eat.

(recipe from Ann Anagnost)