I didn’t grow up eating many beans, other than soy, mung, and red – wait, I DID grow up eating beans, just not in the Western sense of a pot of bean soup. The soy beans were in tofu or cooked with soy sauce to make kongjaban, mung beans were sprouted, or ground to make patties (like falafel), and the red beans were sweetened and added to pastries. See what I mean? Koreans like to add red bean paste to their ICE CREAM. (Got two cans in the pantry if you want to try some.)
I am now trying to add one bean dish to our menu every week – and so far, so good. The cookbook, The Bean Bible, which I just got from the library, is helping. Bella actually liked the Greek Lentil Soup I made! Luckily I made a double batch.
Greek Lentil Soup (from The Bean Bible, but slightly tweaked)
1 pound (2 cups) dried brown lentils
8 cups (2 quarts) chicken stock (made my own with the bones from our roast)
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used a large can of pureed tomatoes)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbs oregano (preferably Greek)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice (two lemons) (I used the lemon juice)
1. Boil the lentils in the stock for one hour.
2. Add the rest, except the lemon juice. Here, I sauteed the veggies in the olive oil, before tossing them in.
3. Cook for 30 more minutes or until the lentils are tender and the soup is slightly thickened.
4. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice.
Christian liked the carrots out of this soup.
