German Lentil Soup with Frankfurters
This hearty German Lentil soup is loaded with veggies, and comes topped with a German Frankfurter. (Go ahead and substitute a quality beef frankfurter if you can't get a German one).
Equipment
- 1 Soup Pot
- 1 large Strainer
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup Lentils
- 2 strips Bacon Diced
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 med. Onion diced
- 1 cup Carrot diced
- ¾ cup Celery sliced to ⅓ inch... dice if you want
- 1 med. Leek white part, sliced
- 1 ½ cup Potato peeled and diced
- 6 cups Beef Stock
- 1 Teaspoon Better than Boullion Optional. This adds extra richness.
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
- 2-3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley chopped
- 1-2 Tablespoons Fresh Loveage (Maggikraut) OPTIONAL! chopped
- 4-6 German Wieners or beef Frankfurters
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Maggi Liquid Seasoning (to taste) optional
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils, picking out any stones. Then put them into a soup pot with 4 1/2 cups water.Bring to a Boil, then reduce to simmer and cover. Let simmer 20 minutes.Strain the lentils and discard the cooking liquid. Leave the lentils in the strainer for a moment.Rinse out the soup pot.
- Put the butter into the soup pot over medium heat. Add bacon. Stir while the bacon renders/browns for a minute or two.Add the butter. When it's melted, add the onion, carrot, celery, and leek. Stir the vegetables while soften for 5 minutes.
- Add the Lentils and Potatoes to the vegetables. Add in the beef stock. Add the Bay Leaf, and half of the Vinegar. Add half of the fresh parsley and all of the lovage (maggikraut) if using. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Continue cooking for 20 minutes.
- Taste the soup. Add Salt and Pepper. Add the rest of the vinegar. (add some "better than boullion" if you want more flavor)Then add the Wieners/Frankfurters. Let cook at a simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. (Don't boil at this time, or your sausages will POP!)Do a final taste. Sprinkle with the rest of the fresh parsley. Serve everyone a Wiener of their own on top of the soup.
Notes
To REALLY boost the Umami (savory beefy flavor) a shot of Maggi Seasoning works wonders. This flavor enhancer, similar to soy sauce, but with a more meaty flavor, can be found online or in some markets. Get the one with the red cap if you can (it's the German version), the yellow also works, but has a slightly different flavor.
I use bacon, because I like it, but you can also use ham. It will add more smokiness to the flavor.
Before serving, you can take the sausages out of the soup, slice them, and add them back in.
Double the amount of vegetables if you like.