Von Bybee Lentil Soup
In the book of Genesis there were twin brothers, Esau and Jacob. Esau was born first which meant that he had a double inheritance.
As the story goes Esau came in from the open country, famished. Esau sold the right to his inheritance to Jacob for a meal of lentil stew and some bread. What is up with that? So never having enjoyed a bowl of
lentils, I had to taste the most expensive soup in history. So I set out to come up with a recipe. I love country ham so I thought that would make a great stock base for this lentil soup. So here you have it, the Von Bybee Lentil Soup. The Von is for the German background
of the original recipe.
Key takeaway: Men never conduct business on an empty stomach.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound of packaged country ham center cut or biscuit slices (biscuit sliced is the leanest) diced
1 medium onion diced (I use sliced scallions)
2 medium carrots sliced
1 cup of diced celery
1 16 ounce package of lentils
6 whole pepper corns
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
8 cups of hot water
olive oil
PREPARATION
In a soup pot, add the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Fry the country ham over medium heat until browned and push to one side of the pan.
Add the vegetables and cook until softened, 5-8 minutes.
Add the lentils, seasonings and hot water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer approximately 35 to 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Careful with the salt, the ham should provide all that it is needed. Taste and adjust salt and pepper seasoning.
Remove the bay leaves. Serve with artisan bread. Makes 6-8 servings.
Contributors: Indiucky