Lentil Soup with Smoked Meat

Instructions

• 1
  Rinse the lentils and place them in a pot. Pour 1 liter of cold water over them and let them soak for at least 2 hours. Add a level spoonful of salt and cook the lentils over medium heat until tender. Then drain them through a sieve.
• 2
  Cut the bacon or sausage into 0.5 cm cubes. Finely chop the onion. Slice the garlic thinly. Heat the broth. Finely chop the flat-leaf parsley.
• 3
  In a saucepan, melt the lard over medium heat, add the smoked meat and sauté until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add ⅔ of the cooked lentils, mix thoroughly, pour in 900 ml of hot broth, and let it simmer for 5 minutes over low heat.
• 4
  Blend the remaining lentils together with the remaining broth using an immersion blender, add to the saucepan with the soup, mix thoroughly, and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
• 5
  The garlic must not brown too much during sautéing, as it would become bitter and spoil the taste of the entire soup. Blended lentils will thicken the soup, so you don't need to thicken it with a roux, and the soup will naturally be gluten-free. If you are a vegetarian, replace beef broth with vegetable broth and do not add bacon or sausage to the soup. You will need an immersion blender for preparation.