Great Soup For Winter...

Looking out the window on this overcast New Year's Day got me thinking about some of my favorite cooks and foods from 2012. This one happens to be one of my all time favorite soups; my Mom got the recipe from her mother and passed it on to me. Here is a picture of the finished product. Like most soups and stews; its even better the next day.

Here is the recipe...

German Lentil Soup

by Edward Harding via Mom & Grandmother

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Ingredients

• This is for a large pot of soup. You should use at least a 12 QT pot...
• 2lbs dry green lentils
• 4 carrots - chopped small
• 6 stalks of celery - chopped
• 4 medium sized onions - chopped
• 4 red potatoes - 1/4" dice
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons of fresh ground black pepper
• 6 cloves of garlic - minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 pound of bacon chopped ( I used Canadian (1/4" dice) this time)
• 4 smoked ham hocks ( you can use more, but at least 4)
• 1 small boneless smoked pork shoulder (this is my choice, not part of the original recipe)
• 2 Gal of water. I have used potato water as a stock before (from the Thanksgiving potatoes)
• In a large stock pot...
• Heat a few tablespoons of oil...
• Saute bacon until crisp, add onions until golden
• Add carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, S&P. Cook until carrots are softened slightly.
• Place smoked ham hocks, pork shoulder, and lentils into the pot.
• Add enough water / stock to cover well
• Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally
• Turn heat down to medium low and simmer soup with the lid slightly open for a few (3?) hours...
• Remove smoked ham hocks and pork shoulder. Cut boneless shoulder into bite size pieces. Cut any meat on the ham hocks off and return it to the soup along with the pork shoulder.
• Add kosher salt & pepper to taste.
• Serve in big bowls with crusty bread

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Please let me know if you make it and how it turned out...

Ed