I thought good home made soup was some sort of magical tradition that was passed down from grannies worldwide! In actually attempting to make my own, I have realised how super easy and quick it can be! I have used this recipe all Winter to warm my family up, and it has had nothing but compliments. A quick, easy, hearty soup recipe for any level of chef!
*Please remember to practice good food safety, as raw meats will be present. Wash hands regularly, particularly after handling meat.
Cook Time
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 hour
Ready in: 1 hour 20 min
Yields: Huge Pot
Ingredients
2 Packs/ 1KG Cooking bacon
4 Large Potatoes
2 Large Leeks
8 Large Carrots
1 Large Onion
2 Ham Stock Cubes
1/4 Bag Lentils
4 Cloves Garlic
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Boil your meat in stock
Chop vege
Grate vege (for thickness)
Remove fat from meat (optional)
Mix everything together
Blend as required
Method
Boil the kettle, and pour boiling water into large pot. The pot I used took 2 1/2 kettles full of water. Add the stock cubes, and the cooking bacon. There is no need to prepare the meat at this stage, as the cooking bacon is typically offcuts from larger pieces of meat, and we remove the fat later. Simmer.
While the meat is boiling, wash and prepare your vegetables. It's up to you whether you chop, slice or grate your vege, as it depends on the preferred consistency of the soup. I chop my potatoes, leeks and onions, and grate my carrots- not being worried about peeling or being particularly neat, because i blend it at the end, but if you like chunky vege, feel free to chop everything. (Cut the end off the leeks and carrots, though)
By the time you have prepared your vege, the bacon should be cooked through. You can tell it is cooked as it has now taken on a much lighter pink colour. Using a set of tongs, remove the meat from the water, and place to the side on a plate. Then, put all of the vege into the water, along with the garlic. For simplicity, I use frozen garlic cubes, and these are the equivalent to 4 crushed cloves. Allow the vege to simmer away, and add your lentils, which you should have had soaking as per the packet instructions.
While the vege is simmering away, begin stripping the fat off of the meat. This is easy to do with your *clean hands, as long as the meat has cooled sufficiently. The fat should separate nicely away from the meat, and this can be disposed of. Then, replace the meat into the pan and allow to simmer for about 20 mins, stirring regularly.
Check that the vege has cooked through by prodding a fairly large piece of potato with a fork. If there is no resistance, the vege is ready- and basically, so is your soup!
Personally, I like a smooth soup, with some chunky pieces, but how you finish is up to you. At this stage I would separate some of the chunky pieces into a bowl, and take the soup off the heat. Then, blend the remaining soup in the pot to an almost smooth consistency using a stick blender. After that, replace the chunky pieces into the soup, and return to the heat, stirring well.
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