Skip to main content

Hearty Lentil and Weiner Soup

Hot dogs and lentils are a match made in heaven and are also extremely cheap! You can keep it basic and use regular hot-dots, or get fancy ones from Kramarczuk's or another meat market. I used their coarse-ground weiners with great results. Use green or brown lentils, not the red ones. I added orzo pasta to thicken it up, but you could also use rice or potatoes and adjust cooking time accordingly.

4 weiner links
1 c. green lentils
1 c. orzo pasta
1 qt. beef or ham broth
2 qt. water

1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium carrots, diced
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 sage leaves, sliced (or 2 tsp. dried)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1 tsp. dried coriander
2 Tbps. Crystal or Tobasco hot sauce
2 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. black pepper
handful of fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
salt to taste

Slice up the weiners and saute them in the oil in a heavy soup pot until they brown slightly on the edges. Add the onion and half of the celery and saute until the onions begin to cook through. Add the tomato paste, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and toss to coat. Add the broth, sage, bay leaves, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer 20 minutes.

Add the remaining celery and carrots and the orzo and increase the heat to boil the orzo, carrots, and lentils until just tender (~10 min). Add the hot sauce and parsley and adjust the seasonings to taste.

NoneMoreBlack pointed out that this recipe is similar to Cotechino con Lenticchie, an Italian dish traditionally served at New Year's Eve. If you are somehow able to source the specialty cotechino sausage, please make the Italian recipe and tell me how it is!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Thick-cut Pork Chops

These intimidating chops were actually pretty easy to cook. They're called an "Iowa Chop", and they're just a thick-cut, bone-in, center-cut chop. I've discovered that the secret to juicy pork chops is to start with a cold pan and obsessively checking the temperature . I find they're best just under 160 degrees. Pork Chops 2 1-lb. Iowa Chops 2-3 Tbsp. salt 2 Tbsp. white pepper 2 Tbsp. dried sage 2 Tbsp. Smoked (or regular) paprika 3 Tbsp. oil Sauce (optional): 1/2 c. chicken broth 1/2 c. white wine (I used Pinot Grigio) 2 Tbsp. corn starch 1 tsp. white pepper 2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/4 c. cold water Preheat the oven to 350. Pat the chops dry with some paper towel. Sprinkle them liberally with the salt and spices and allow them to warm up to room temperature while you start the quinoa and chop the cauliflower. Place the oil in your pan, but do not pre-heat the pan. Add the chops to the pan and place them on the stove. Heat the pan up to medium, turning the chop

Miele Steam Oven Pulled Pork

I've been debating whether I should post some of these more niche recipes--now that we have a steam oven and a high powered stove, I am making recipes that not everyone can reproduce with other equipment. I've decided to post some of them 1) for my own records, and 2) because there are very few recipes available online for these devices (especially the steam oven). Perhaps these recipes will be of use to others. I don't have a photo for this one because I decided to post the recipe after the fact. 3-5 lb pork shoulder roast (~3 lb without bone, ~5 lb with) 1 large white onion, 1/4" slices 1 Tbsp. butter 1 chicken boullion cube 1 c. water 2 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. dried sage 1 tsp. whole coriander 1 Tbsp. coarse ground salt 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. white pepper 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cayenne 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. celery seed Saute the onions in the butter in a saute pan over medium for 10 min until the onions are somewha

Baking Powder Dumplings

This is Mom's standard dumpling recipe, excellent with chicken soup. Drop them in, put the lid on, and enjoy. Ingredients: 2 cups flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 scant cup milk or water Preparation: Mix the dry ingredients, stir in the milk or water gradually to make a soft dough. Drop by spoonful into boiling salted water or simmering stew. Cover tightly, cook 10-15 minutes before lifting cover. Test for doneness, drain. Serve at once. Well, once they cool off so you don't burn your tongue. PS - This is post 199! Hope someone does something special for #200!