Homey. Comforting. Sane.

There has been a lot of buzz over at the CLBB the past few days over a Lemon Lentil Soup with Spinach first posted by Alysha from The Savory Notebook. After last night's cooking debacle, this sounded like just the right thing to have for dinner tonight. Brightened with lemon and tomatoes, and redolent of garlic, this soup is loaded with antioxidants. To top it off, dinner would have been ready in less than half an hour if I hadn't been playing around with a Sara Moulton recipe for roasted cauliflower, then at the last minutes decided to make some Parmesan garlic bread wiith the leftover Roasted Garlic Cloves I made last night. Then, I decided to pull out the Oven-Roasted Tomatoes I also made last night, which I don't think I even mentioned in the rest of yesterday's saga. Then I sat down on the couch, with my husband on one side and two dogs begging for scraps on the other, and simply ate dinner. Aaah....bliss.

Lemon Lentil Soup with Spinach

from Fresh Food Fast by Peter Berley

1 1/2 cups red or brown lentils, rinsed (I used red)

1 cup canned chopped tomatoes, with their juice

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I used one tablespoon)

8 garlic cloves, peeled (I chopped, then mashed into a paste with the salt)

2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt

4 slices peeled fresh ginger, each about the size of a quarter (or 1 teaspoon grated)

1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary)

1 bay leaf

1 10-ounce bag washed baby spinach (I used 5 ounces or less, and chopped before adding to pot)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Freshly milled black pepper

(I did this all on the stove top. The lentils cooked within 15-20 minutes, so using a pressure cooker doesn't really save that much time. I'll bet it could be done pretty well in a crockpot too since there is no sauteeing.)

In a pressure cooker over high heat, combine 4-5 cups of water with the lentils, tomatoes, oil, garlic, and salt. Wrap the ginger, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth, tie it closed with kitchen string, and add this bouquet garni to the pot. (Don't skip this step!)

Lock the lid in place and bring to full pressure. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.Transfer the pressure cooker to the sink and run cold water over it to release the pressure. Remove the lid and discard the bouquet garni.

Return the pot to medium heat. Add the spinach and simmer until wilted. Stir in the lemon juice. Crush the garlic against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon and stir so that all the garlic completely melts into the soup. Add pepper and serve immediately.

French Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Copyright: Ina Garten

16 ounces lentils -- Small French green lentils are preferred over the larger brown ones.

boiling water

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 large onions -- chopped

3 cloves garlic -- minced

2 large leeks -- white and tender green parts only, chopped

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon ground cumin

8 whole celery ribs -- chopped

6 medium carrots -- diced into 1/2" pieces

3 quarts chicken broth

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons dry red wine -- or red wine vinegar

In a large heatproof bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot (at least 5 quart size). Add onions, garlic, leeks, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes.Add the carrots and celery and cook until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, lentils, and tomato paste to the pot. Increase the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are very tender (about 1 hour).

Stir in red wine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil if desired, and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan.