Lentil Soup

Featured Chef - Joseph Mironti

Cousin Joseph Mironti sent me this recipe.  It's for a large group of people because he shares it with co-workers!  Way to spread the weatlh and luck Joseph!  Joseph is another Mironti Boy who loves to cook.  Boy, we were lucky when we married these Italian boys.  Nothing like a husband who not only loves to cook but is good at it.  Joe owned a popular pizzeria up in Syracuse at one time but opted to sell it because it took too many hours away from his family once the boys came along.  Joe has a lovely wife Sharon and two handsome sons - Michael and Brandon. 

My mother makes her soup very similar to this - the recipe handed down from my grandmother.  We used to call it "Good Luck Soup."  My grandmother would make us eat it every New Year's Day.  Boy is it good especially with a piece of Italian bread in your other hand!

As Joseph stated to me it is very hard for us to write recipes.  Italian women in our families just talked about a pinch of this or that and that is how we learned.  I think it will be fine because really it's all about how you like your food to taste.    If you don't want this much soup just cut it in half.

Lentil Soup Ala Giuseppe

Ingredients

3 Gallons of water
1 tsp kosher salt
5 lbs of Dried Lentil Beans rinsed
2-3 lbs Kielbasa type meat chopped ( be creative ie : summer sausage, cheriso)
6 stalks of celery chopped
4 cups Carrots chopped
2 large Spanish Onions chopped
8 med size white potatoes peeled and chopped
2 cloves of fresh German garlic chopped fine
1/2 cup fresh Italian Parsley coarsely chopped
16 oz can of Tomatoes Puree
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Bring water to a boil in a very big pot. Add lentils and cook stirring occasionally for 45 minutes. While lentils are cooking fry chopped kielbasa in a separate pan about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except puree and cook for 30 minutes. Add puree and salt and pepper to taste cook until the lentils crack open and it gets all nice and creamy.

Enjoy!
Thanks Joseph - we can't wait to try some!