For 6 persons

a) For the soup:
1 c. tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 leek, quartered lengthwise, rinsed well and finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
½ bulb fennel, finely chopped
¼ of a small celery root bulb
1 c. coffee of ground cumin

4 cloves

4 black peppercorns

500 g of green lentils from Le Puy

2 bay leaves

[optional: 125 g coarsely chopped smoked brisket (or smoked tofu)

b) For the salad:
¼ bunch of flat leaf parsley
2 c. coffee of mustard
1 c. coffee of old wine vinegar
1 c. coffee of balsamic vinegar
1 c. tablespoon of lentil broth (from the soup above)
1 c. tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

a) For the soup:
In a large frying pan, or casserole, heat the oil.
When the oil is hot, add all the cleaned and chopped vegetables.
Stir well, let melt for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Add the spices (cumin, cloves, pepper) and the bay leaf and stir well.
Allow to melt for another 5 minutes, then add the lentils (rinsed if necessary).
Stir well to diffuse the flavors, then add 1.5 liters of water at room temperature.
Bring to a boil, then simmer, half covered, until the lentils are tender (which varies greatly depending on the lentils used, from 25 minutes to 1.5 hours: you have to taste the lentils to check).
As soon as the lentils are almost cooked, you can add salt to the preparation. I make it with coarse gray salt.
Serve on its own (partially or totally blended -but then it will be difficult to make a salad with the leftovers the next day!- or as is) or with a nice green salad or with small lardons (of Label Rouge pork or smoked tofu) browned in a little fat.

The addition of small garlic croutons is also very nice (see my recipe for gluten-free croutons).

b) For the next day's salad, if there is any soup left:
Drain remaining soup, reserving 1 tbsp. tablespoons of the cooking broth.
Chop the well-washed flat-leaf parsley.
Make a sauce with the mustard, vinegars, broth, oil and chopped shallots.
Season the drained lentils and small vegetables with this sauce, sprinkle with chopped parsley and enjoy.

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