Circle B Kitchen
This makes a lovely, warming, healthy bowl of soup deliciousness. Use whatever kind of broth you have on hand, but it's a great vehicle for leftover holiday turkey broth. As for the celery, I like to use the heart of the celery and chop the celery leaves too. They add great flavor to the soup. The bulghur wheat is optional, but again, it adds a depth of flavor and some thickening to the broth. If you would like, you can reduce the amount of lentils and increase the barley.
1 1/4 cups lentils
½ cup medium bulgur wheat
1/2 cup barley
6 cups water
2 tablespoons butter
4-6 cups chicken or turkey or vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint (optional)
3 carrots, shredded
3 stalks celery, chopped (I like to use the heart of the celery with the leaves)
2 medium zucchini, sliced and cut into half moons (or quarter moons if you like) (optional)
3 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
Grated Parmesan and olive oil for serving
Place the lentils, barley and bulgur wheat in a large saucepan. Cover with water by about 2 inches or so (about 6 cups, depending on the size of your pan). Add 2 teaspoons of salt, bring to a boil and cook for about a half hour.
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, saute the onion, carrots, and celery in the butter and a little olive oil until soft. Add the cooked lentil mixture and cooking broth, along with the chopped parsley, zucchini, another teaspoon of salt, a little more pepper if you like, and enough of the chicken broth to cover by about an inch. Stir well and simmer 1-2 hours, adding more chicken stock if it gets too thick. Taste for salt and pepper.
To serve, drizzle each bowl of soup with a little olive oil and then sprinkle with grated parmesan.