Chicken, Bacon, Carrot & Lentil Soup

We picked up a splendid half-price free range chicken at the weekend, which did for a roast and a really rather excellent chicken, smoked bacon and chorizo dish with the leftovers. 

Chicken being the bird that never stops givin', the carcass was used to make stock which forms the basis of this soup. Stock cubes can be used, of course. 

The total cost of this soup would be about a quid. Lentils are dirt cheap, the carrots were about 30p and the bacon probably about 10p. Sadly, this dish sees the end of a 800gm 'bacon bits' from the market (discussed in a previous post) that had the finest smoked bacon I've ever tasted. Unbelievable. 

Ingredients

Small splash of veg oil

1kg carrots

100gm lentils

Large onion

3 cloves garlic (or tspn garlic powder)

3 rashers bacon

About 1.5 litres of chicken stock 

2 tspns mild curry powder / paste 

1/2 tspn celery seeds / salt

1/2 tspn mustard powder

Squirt of tomato purée 

Splash of cider vinegar or equivalent 

Chop the onions and the bacon and fry on a low-medium heat in the oil. Olive oil is great, I used rapeseed - don't use palm oil as no soup is worth the death of an orangutan. When the onions are soft and the bacon slightly browned add the garlic and give everything a good stir. 

Add the chopped carrot and lentils. Stir and add the curry, celery seeds and mustard. Don't worry if you don't have celery seeds / salt and do feel free to use any mustard if you don't have the powder. A quick squirt of tomato purée and a bit of vigorous stirring. Doesn't really need to be that vigorous but I need the exercise. 

Don't let anything burn: add that splash of vinegar. I actually used the vinegar from a jar of gherkins from the Polish Deli on Shelton Square - spirit vinegar infused with charlock, celery, bay leaf as well as what appears to be chopped garlic and black pepper seeds. You wouldn't want to throw that deliciousness out when you've finished the gherkins, would you?

It'll only be a minute or so before you need to add the stock. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat right down and cover. Should be ready in about half an hour. 

I actually whacked this through a food processor, but most adults can cope with bits of carrot and it works as a lumpy soup. 

I served with a little raw courgette, thinly sliced, as I had some in the fridge that needs eating.