Lentil Soup and Buscuits

This evening, I had the desire to make a hearty dinner, so I chose my mom's original lentil soup. It is a meal that I have enjoyed more and more with time. It might be considered plain to some, but add your salt, pepper, or other spices, and perhaps a dollop of sour cream, and it is full of fabulous flavor! Here is my mom's recipe, with a few alterations of my own:

• One bag of lentils, about 2 cups
• One onion, chopped
• One bay leaf
• 4 stalks of celery chopped
• 4-6 carrots chopped into 1 inch chunks
• 1/3 cup barley
• A drizzle of olive oil, maybe 1-2 Tablespoons
• 1 and 1/2 quarts of water
• salt and pepper to taste, after cooking is an option
• sour cream to dollop, if desired

I use a pressure cooker, and once the top is rocking it only takes 8-10 minutes cooking over the heat. For more pressure cooker information and cooking times, see The ULTIMATE Pressure Cooker Cooking Time Chart. My mom used a regular pot on the stove with a lid and had the lentil soup simmer for about an hour. She also said to add water as needed so the lentils don't dry out while cooking, which can only be done, of course, if you are cooking with a regular pot. Do not try to add water to your pressure cooker! (That would be disastrous, as you should know.) The goal is to have tender lentils in the end product.

This lentil soup recipe is one of my favorites because it has both a legume (lentils) and a grain (barley) as well as other vegetables, spices, and garnishes, if you please. It is a fabulously healthy vegetarian dish! You can vary the amounts of veggies and such, as you wish. Experimenting with new ingredients may be delightful as well!

Another wonderful aspect of this lentil soup is that it keeps in the refrigerator for several days, at least, and lasts well in the freezer for months (tested by me), which means: great leftovers!

I had a hankering for some fluffy biscuits, so I referred to my copy of Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book from 1961. It is on page 76 in my book. My change to the recipe was using butter instead of shortening. If you don't have your own Betty Crocker Cook Book, you can search for the recipe on Google, or look up any other favorite biscuit recipe.

Here is a photograph of my Lentil Soup and Biscuit dinner for two!