Savory Lentil Soup with a Touch of Cajun

Well, we’ve come around in a full circle. It’s a new year and I’m making lentil soup again. But, I love this soup — it is so savory, smooth and hearty. For some reason, it is just right on these cold winter days and nights. I took the main components of some of my past lentil soup recipes and concocted this flavorful recipe. I gave it Cajun “touches” using smoked tasso and the Cajun “trinity” of vegetable seasonings for flavor. Plus, I used homemade broth from my holiday turkey dinner as the soup stock. I could really eat this soup every day — which is.a good thing since one pound of dry lentils makes ten cups of soup! Quite a few lunches.

Lentils are probably my most favorite of all the dried beans. Lentils are mild and flavorful. They blend well with the other seasonings in the recipe and broth making a “knock-out” soup. Plus, You don’t find gas-forming components in lentils leading to digestive issues. So, lentils are easy on the stomach. Lentils are full of fiber which helps with digestion. And, they are considered to be a “complete” protein — good for vegetarians. Our diets can all benefit from less high saturated fat animal foods. (As a disclaimer, this recipe does contain Cajun Tasso pork and chicken broth — so it is not vegetarian. However, a person could easily make a vegetarian soup by omitting the pork and using vegetable broth.)

There are several forms of lentils — red, brown, green. I used brown lentils for this recipe. Another advantage of lentils is that they cook much quicker than other dried beans (such as Navy, white, lima and kidney beans). You don’t have to pre-soak them prior to cooking.

Cajun “Touches”

For this recipe, I included several Cajun “touches.” I used the Cajun “Trinity” of vegetable seasonings which are used in so much Cajun cooking. The vegetables are onions, bell peppers and celery. In Cajun recipes, these vegetables are included in equal parts. Although garlic is not considered to be one of the “Trinity,” it is often included in the vegetable mix.

In Cajun recipes, these vegetables are chopped finely. As the soup (gumbo, stew, étouffée) cooks, the vegetables dissipate into the broth adding flavor but not bites of food. I used a food processor to chop the vegetables finely. It is much easier than chopping by hand. After cutting the vegetables into chunks, I pulsed each ingredient individually in the food processor.

Cajun Tasso. This smoked pork is another of my “Cajun” touches. Tasso is a unique Cajun meat. I cannot remember ever noticing it other parts of our country. Tasso is not sliced for use in sandwiches. Rather, the smoked pork is diced and used as a flavorful seasoning. And lentil soup is the perfect recipe for using Tasso, because the pork seasoning really gives the soup “spark.”

Cajun Tasso is not considered to be ham. Smoked or fresh ham comes from the hind legs of the hog while Tasso comes from the pork shoulder. This makes Tasso a tougher cut of meat and higher in fat. To produce Tasso, it is dry cured, then Cajun seasonings are rubbed onto the surface and it is smoked. Usually, Tasso is sold in small pieces. Since it is tough and used as a seasoning, Tasso is cooked further. Plus, this Savoie’s brand instructs the end user to further cook the pork product completely even though it is smoked. (If you don’t have Tasso, smoked ham or ham hocks can be substituted.)

A note about broth…A flavorful broth makes for a great soup. I like to use chicken broth or stock in this recipe because it is mild and neutral in flavor; yet it still enhances the soup. This is a good recipe to use homemade turkey broth made from the Christmas turkey. I have several pints of broth frozen away for further use.

Recipe

Here are the ingredients for my lentil soup. In addition to the Cajun-inspired seasonings, the soup includes white wine, tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Yes, lots of flavor. And, if you really want to make this a “Cajun” recipe, then add several drops of Tabasco Pepper Sauce. (I usually omit the hot sauce from the soup, and instead let everyone add it at the table.) Add salt and pepper as needed. I love carrots in lentil soup and find that this is a good recipe to sneak this vegetable into our diets.

Making the Soup

Making the soup is very simple. First get all the ingredients chopped up.

Sauté the Cajun “Trinity” of seasonings in the oil until tender — about 5 minutes. Add the Tasso and sauté 5 additional minutes. I do this over medium heat or even low-medium heat.

Add the remainder of the ingredients, including the dry lentils and additional water, and let the soup simmer away for an hour. The lentils do swell in size as they are cooked. I almost ran out of room in the pot! Eventually I divided the mixture into two pots and thinned it to make a “soup” and not a stew. I needed 8 cups of a combination of chicken broth and water for the soup. After the soup simmers for an hour, taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. If desired, add a few drops of Tabasco Pepper Sauce and taste again. A little Tabasco Pepper Sauce goes a long way — resist the temptation to add to much hot sauce.

And, we have soup. Lots of soup! There were plenty of leftovers — and some of this soup made it into the freezer for future meals. However, we had no problem consuming the most of the soup.

I always enjoy lentils. This soup has lots of flavor due to all the ingredients which I added — white wine, tomato paste and Italian seasonings in addition to the Cajun seasonings. It made quite a tasty soup. A good way to continue the new year.