In my home country, we had this funny custom to have any lentil’s dish on New Years Day. Supposedly, it was meant to keep (or bring) money into the family. Considering, I am doing it for my whole life, it wasn’t too successful yet. But the “patience brings roses” eventually, so I am not giving up and I will still cook my favorite Lentils soup every January 1st, just in case. Also, in my family, we really like the dish. Please, let me know how did you enjoy it, if you are trying my recipe!
New Years Lentils Soup
4 cups of dry lentils
8 cups of chicken broth
2 carrots (chopped)
2 sticks of celery (chopped)
1 can of diced tomatoes (lately I love the fire roasted ones)
Salt and pepper
Polish kielbasa (or leftover ham) – optional
Measure 4 cups of dry lentils (I always do “security check” – pour little by little to white plate and spread dry lentils with my fingers to check for anything that doesn’t belong there. Believe me, it’s not fun to bite into a piece of pebble).
Pour clean lentils into a large soup pot, cover with chicken broth and bring to boil. Lower the heat and let simmer. If you have a leftover ham (or even better, the bone from ham) throw a piece in there for aroma and let it cook together with lentils.
If using kielbasa, I like to leave the whole piece, for cooking – take it out and cut into little cubes, when soup is ready. What ever you prefer. Clean and chop carrots and celery sticks and add it to the soup.
Let cook for few minutes and stir in whole can of diced tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper if desired (some broth are salty enough). Let simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until the lentils are soft. At the end, take out the bone from ham (if used) or kielbasa and cut into little pieces. Return to the soup and enjoy!
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