Fall Red Lentil Apple Soup

So, it is fall 2016. I have not made soup for months. it has been hot, and I have been busy. I cannot remember ever not making chicken corn soup in August, in the last 30 years of marriage, I probably did not even take off 16 years ago when I had a newborn baby and horrible case of pneumonia!

I am beginning a weekly soup documentary, because I am bartering with soup for a while, ad I want my business partners to know the recipe. Since I would be writing it down or typing it out....I thought that I might gain some traction here by posting it on my blog, I can make a record and write a books at the same time...Haha! Sure, if you want to hear my music, maybe I will post recipes from my album release party when that happens! :)

Today's soup was not delivered, as the meat was form my freezer and the veggies were on the edge of compost. It was a way to use op things I had on hand, and in that case, I do not serve my scrap based food to others....but this experiment was an keeper, and I will make it again next week!

1 & 1/2 cu. red lentils (dry)
1/2 cup any kind of brown rice

1 small apple chopped
2 medium onions chopped
1&1/2 cu. chopped celery
1 cu. chopped carrots

(chop all these confetti size)

1 lb. or less of regular turkey sausage

1 tsp of salt...or more...to taste + more salt in the table!
1/2 tsp sifted (powdered) thyme for a handful of fresh thyme
3 bay leaves

and finally a tbsp honey

Saute the mixture of tossed confetti diced veggies in oil...grape seed oil would be lovely, but olive oil is fine
add the sausage and stir...now do NOT burn any of this...only caramelize....the sausage will finish cooking while boiling.

Add the lentils and rice and stir through. Then pull the pot off the stove and add water to the pot,a little more than twice the height of the mixture. Replace the pot back onto the heat and bring to a boil...while impatiently waiting, add the herbs and stir...stir occasionally.

Once the soup has boiled long enough to cook the meat, add the tbsp of honey, and simmer a few more minutes, until the broth is caramel color and becoming opaque....then serve....Mmm!

Serves 4 to 6 a very hearty bowls ....maybe a quart leftover for the next day!

Now, a word about sausage. My local market carried maple apple sausage and it would be fabulous. I do not use it, because I do not think the maple is pure...and my kids do not like it. I could have used Applegate farms frozen breakfast sausage. But I used regular sausage from market. Soon, I will stuff my own apple sausage and smoke it in my very own smoker...yep, I found out I am getting a smoker for Christmas.

Also, I am lazy, so I placed the sausage into the pot with the caramelizing veggies...and boiled it until it was cooked and I could cut it with knife and fork, and throw it back into the pot to blend the flavors. One could cut the sausages before cooking...partially frozen would make more uniform slices. My home smoked links will already been thoroughly cooked....OH and you could bake the sausage, then slice into the soup.

Happy Fall 2016...Hearty soup to you!


This Just in: Her laziness (myself) just poured a jar of the leftovers into a saucepan in which someone else in the family had just sauted some spinach in...and this soup, having used the regular turkey sausage, looked 'boss" with the flakes of chopped frozen spinach stirred in liberally...I should have taken a picture, but I already ate it...Lol! Half eaten photo to come??? The Photo does not do it justice! This soup was awesome! Perfect for this gray rainy day! Mmm...