love the exception

I am back into the regulation clingy, long-armed knits & low-rise jeans I wear three seasons and have dialed it down to Buffalo Springfield and solo Don Henley.  Don Henley from 25 years ago, not from the recent past where he styles like the male Faith Hill.  Kowalski called me tonight while I was out running errands and told me a funny, sweet story about someone we used to know, a story that is the tiniest bit sad.  I exchanged him, in the light of a sodium vapor lamp, a long confessional of the sort that is his purview.  He was noodling around on the piano while we talked and now I seem to have a thirst for Muddy Waters.  Or Outkast.  Leonard Cohen?  I cannot sort it all out just yet.  Obviously.

The rain continues and the eggplant are still inside, shivering.  If I had known that this spring would be this way, I would have planted spinach when I thought of it.  Sadly, I then considered the season too long in its tooth.  I have spinach from the farmer's market, however, still with its tiny roots attached.  It was being passed off as premium baby greens, but thinning the rows in the garden was my task as a child and I recognized the little roots attached to the babies as more of a waste not, want not situation.  Premium greens makes me laugh a little.

My (s)mother made this soup after Mass every Sunday when spinach was in the garden, which is in the Midwest a very, very long time.  It was always best with the thinned plants; I was happy to have 2 full bags.  It is the only soup I have ever known to be a fine companion to a plain green salad right alongside. 

Lentil Soup

Boil 2 cups French lentils in 10 cups of liquid as desired for soup* until quite tender.  Salt to taste, leave to cool. 

When ready to eat, give 4 to 6 large handfuls of clean, young spinach a quick turn in a 1/4c of butter on high heat, just long enough to wilt.  Pour spinach (with butter) into the lentils.  Puree to about a 70% smoothness, then reheat gently.  Taste again for salt, then add the juice of one lemon.  Serve hot.

I think it is Outkast, definitely.

*Chicken or vegetable stocks work well, although I always use water with 4 ribs of celery and 2 carrots, which I remove when the lentils are done.

Comments

[santos.]

we're back to the oh-it's-like-filipino thing again. mung beans and mizuna. excellent combo.

[lala]

When I am not in the Total 100-Mile Spirit, I will try it.

We would sometimes use watercress instead of spinach, but that did not grow in the potager. xo