I am posting the original recipe that a friend of mine gave me, then a few personal modifications below.

Lentil Soup
2 tbls. butter (olive oil also works)
1/4 lb. smoked ham, cut into pieces (I omitted this when I added chicken)
1/2 c. chopped onions
2 tsp. garlic
1/2 lb. dried green lentils
5 c. fresh or canned chicken broth
2 c. water
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
1 tbls. red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
4 tbls. coarsely chopped chervil (I omitted this)

1. Heat 1 tbls. butter in kettle or deep sauce pan. Add ham, onions,and garlic. Cook briefly until onions are wilted. Add lentils and 4 cups of the chicken broth, the water, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 30-60 minutes, until lentils are soft. Remove 1/2 c. of lentils and set aside. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprig.

2. With a wire whisk, mash the lentils to make a coarse puree. Return the soup pot to the stove and bring to a boil. Add the remaining 1 c. of chicken broth and the reserved 1/2 c. soup. Add the remaining 1 tbls. butter and the vinegar. Check for seasoning and serve, sprinkled with chervil.

My own notes:

* Trying to mash the lentils with a whisk didn’t accomplish much to me. I don’t think my “coarse puree” looked much different than what I started with.

* Instead of smoked ham, I added a bunch (not sure how much) of diced chicken near the end of the cooking time, as well as 1/3 c. dry brown rice. Next time I will add even more brown rice, maybe 1/2 c.

Submitted by Jennifer