First, "sausage". Second, don't eat turkey sausage.
Also, don't think posting twice in a day counts for more than one two-week period.
You're an attorney. What do you think you're doing cooking for yourself rather than ordering takeout at your desk?
It's lawyers like you who make us all look bad.
Uhhh, have you considered owning at least one cookbook? As it happens, The Joy of Cooking has a terrific lentil soup recipe, and you wouldn't have made the mistakes you did...
I will not be cowed by your nitpickery, w-lfs-n.
As it happens I own exactly one cookbook, which did not have a recipe for lentil soup. Besides, following instructions is for pussies.
LB - if it makes you feel any better, I billed every minute of the cooking process to a client.
There is a wonderful "Linsen mit Speck" lLentils with bacon) recipe I learnt here a few years ago. you have to cook it for ages: Your billable hours stats will go through the roof. Want a copy?
I'll be making soup here in a bit, I'll share:
Bake 4 russet potatoes in oven fer an hour or so until done.
In a large pot, sweat leeks, garlic, and butter. I'll go with 1-2 C of chopped leaks, and 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed to pieces. 3 T butter is probably fine. Add a pinch of salt, too. Big pinch if unsalted butter, little pinch of salted.
When the leeks are getting transluscent, I'll add 6 C of stock. I use a mix of chicken and vegetable. Bring to a boil.
Take the baked potatoes, mash in a bowl. (skins on or off, your preference) Add buttermilk and sour cream. (1 1/2 C of the first, 3/4 C of the latter)
Throw that in the broth, turn off heat. Add some sherry vinegar (depending on taste, I like a good bit, 4 T or so) and chives.
If you eat pork, some bacon wouldn't be bad (probably thrown in with the leeks). Celery seed would be a good taste too, come to think of it.
(this recipie is stolen from a Good Eats episode, so credit where it's due)
You need to dice the bacon into little cubes, fry them and sweat them a little THEN you sweat the leeks in the bacon fat etc. I'd put the garlic in later to stop it from going bitter. The recipe sounds delicious though: Unf, stay with Michaels, it knocks mine into a cocked hat.
I bet mixing some celery root with the potatoes would be good too. Celery and its root go v. well with porky flavors.
I'll assume Ben is in a good epistemalogical situation to know that.
Taking a man at his word does not force one to share his aesthetics. But yeah, celery root might be cool there.
For another lentil soup recipe that admittedly doesn't sound as good as the one above, but does sound easier (provenance -- some hippie cookbook or other, made enoughtimes tha the edges wore off the recipe):
Cook the lentils -- it says how on the bag. Try shopping someplace where other people occasionally buy lentils. Yours never got soft because they were too old.
Chop an onion and saute it. If you like, chop two. When soft, add some garlic -- chopped, pressed, whatever. Spinach next -- a frozen block if that's what you have, fresh if you have it and want to bother. Cook until the spinach is wilted. (if you wanted to, you could chop the cooked spinach now. Or not).
Dump cooked stuff into lentils. Stir. Add water till it's as soupy as you want it. Add tomato paste -- about half of one of those tiny cans. It won't taste like tomato soup, but it will pull it together. Simmer for ten minutes or so adding whatever amount of Indian-ish spices you like (cumin, mainly, but whatever). Salt to taste.
Mind you, I don't do this kind of thing myself these days. I'm raising my children on Dominican takeout. Pollo al carbon -- mmmm!
Yours never got soft because they were too old.
Best not let the Apostropher read this thread.
You'll be wanting some coriander to go with that cumin perhaps? Sounds good though.
Just about any recipe you find on the net for a salad with lentils du puy will stand you in good stead.
Moral: never cook anything with more than 2 steps.