Life is Souper

 Midlife crisis- It seems that SO many of my friends are going through their own versions of it.  Times are a'changing, things are a'shifting.  It is like one big collective soup sitting on the table in a god awful tureen smelling like shit.
This is some dinner party.  I imagine my friends sitting around the table.  We are all dressed in what we think makes us looks best- young, thin, hip, smart...Most of us are actually just wearing black- hiding the flaws and hoping nobody notices. The table has a nice crisp damask table cloth with some faded wine stains. The plates don't match, a couple of the forks are bent but all in all it is comfortable and not necessarily uninviting. What is weird is we are all looking at the god awful tureen. No one wants to eat it. I am actually scowling and trying not to laugh.My mother is there muttering about how soup is REALLY just glorified gravy.
So to celebrate the tureen here is a favorite soup recipe AND, better yet,  this one would look really bad in a tureen- so just ladle it into a bowl and maybe put a dollop of creme fraiche on it- because a dollop of anything is FANTASTIC..

	Martha Stewart's Lentil Soup
	Serves 4 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour
	If soup becomes too thick during cooking, add up to one cup more water. Ingredients 3 ounces Bacon or Pancetta 1 medium onion chopped fine 3 whole carrots 3 cloves of garlic 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 1/2 cups green lentils 1/2 tsp dried thyme 29 oz Chicken Broth- this is either 2 cans of broth or 3 1/2 cups fresh. 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar In a Dutch oven (or other 5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), cook bacon medium-low heat until browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat. Add onion and carrots; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste, and cook 1 minute. Add lentils, thyme, broth, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover; cook until lentils are tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Stir in vinegar, about 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve immediately. Per serving: 346 calories; 4.3 grams fat; 26.1 grams protein; 54.1 grams carbohydrates; 24.7 grams fiber

Note: If you prefer to leave out the bacon, skip step 1, and cook the onions and carrots in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Also if you shop at Trader Joe's and want to make this really easy buy the Mirepoix in the veggie section- It is chopped onions, carrots and celery and comes in a clear plastic container.  Works great and saves a bunch of precious time during which you could be doing laundry.
This soup also keeps really well and is great as a leftover with rice.  I always make extra.

*NOTE:  JUST to be clear- Tureen photos are purely for the displeasure of the viewer and are not, in any way, representational of what I consider to be a beautiful objet for the serving of liquidy or softer textured foods.