Dinowitz Family Lentil Soup
Eric Dinowitz, Council District 11:
Bedford Park, Norwood, Kingsbridge Heights-Van Cortlandt Village, Kingsbridge, Riverdale-Spuyten Duyvil, Wakefield-Woodlawn, Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Cortlandt Park
Growing up, I was a picky eater, so I found early joy in the kitchen, where I could cook my own meals. I enjoyed making pasta, French toast, and a few other simple dishes, but at the age of eight, my mother introduced me to my first real dish—lentil soup—which I debuted at my great aunt’s Thanksgiving table in Queens. It’s the perfect complement to the rest of the feast!
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 large onion
2 stalks of celery and celery leaves
Salt
Pepper
Minced garlic
16 ounces of lentils (one bag)
64 ounces of vegetable broth (two boxes)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
3 carrots
Tomato paste (optional)
Directions
Preheat a pot on medium heat.
Chop the onions, carrots, and celery.
Rinse the lentils.
When the pot is hot, add olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot.
Add the chopped onions.
Add salt and pepper, and mix until slightly soft.
Add the garlic and carrots and cook for another couple of minutes.
If using tomato paste, add it and mix it well with the onions, garlic, and carrots.
Add the lentils, celery, celery leaves, two bay leaves, and pour the vegetable broth over it.
Cook for 40 minutes on medium-low heat
Remove bay leaves and celery leaves
Mix in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Enjoy the best lentil soup you’ve ever had!