Italian Lentil and Escarole Soup

The wind is blowing, the snow is coming down, and it is time to warm yourselves inside with a hearty, healthy, colorful soup.  One that goes well with a glass of wine is a plus!  And so..... a delicious lentil soup:  I love finding new ways to use lentils.  While soup isn't really a new way, this tasty soup makes eating lentils in the winter seem like a much fresher experience.  And the escarole in this soup was a stroke of genius!

I like escarole

I hate throwing away cheese

Perfect solution.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• a couple of carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• a couple of celery ribs, diced
• 6 medium garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 8 oz french green lentils, sorted and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Parmesan cheese rind (about 4x2 inches)
• 1 head escarole, chopped

1. Combine the oil, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, parsley, and 3/4 tsp of salt in a heavy-bottomed, large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are quite soft, dramatically reduced in volume, and very lightly browned, 17 to 20 minuts.
2. Increase heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, lentils, chicken broth, 3 cups water, bay leaves, and Parmesan rind; bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until lentils are soft, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.
3. Stir in the escarole and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately in warmed bowls, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

I had never thought about using a rind of cheese this way (make sure it is a nice dark one, and isn't a piave or another parmesan substitute), nor was I big on stirring lettuce into soups, but this worked really well.  And any chance to drizzle good olive oil over something has me in raptures.  This does take quite a while to make.  Including chopping and cooking the lentils, two hours start to finish.

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated, Soups and Stews, 2011.