November was a crazy month what with working on my school assignments and writing my NaNoWriMo novel. But the fun hasn’t stopped yet. My story isn’t finished and next comes the revision part. I bet if it were summer I wouldn’t feel as inclined to spend a month indoors to write a novel but because the days are cooler now, I have no complaints. The past couple of days I’ve been in a warm, comfortable soup mode to counter the cold breeze that filters through my badly insulated windows. But because I’m still writing I’ve been using recipes that are quick and easy to make. Enter Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals: Cooking ‘Round the Clock
. I hadn’t used this book in a while but over the past week it has come in handy. Over the weekend I made her carbonara which was very simple with pancetta (I used bacon), wine, egg, and lots of cheese. It was comfort food at its best.
Next I made her Hungarian Hot Sausage and Lentil “Stoup.” Here is my slightly adapted version:
Hungarian Chorizo and Lentil “Stoup”
Makes 4 servings
About 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil – evoo (I kept saying this in my best impersonation of Ms Ray to Jay’s confused face, “What’s evoo?”)
150g Spanish style chorizo, sliced (unfortunately I mixed up the chorizo and the sausage when I brought out my ingredients)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 portobello mushrooms, gills scraped out, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots (one large carrot was enough)
1 cup canned lentils
1 large starchy potato, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp cumin (but I would advise using less than this)
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp rosemary
14oz canned diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chorizo 2-3 minutes and then add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté for a bit then add the carrots, lentils, potatoes, bay leaf, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, and rosemary. Next add the tomatoes and broth. Cover the pot, raise heat to high to bring to a fast boil then remove lid and boil for about 15 minutes. Serve with some toasted bread and butter. This spicy soup will warm you up on the coldest of days.
