Black Beluga Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup

This soup is really simple to whip together and very satisfying on a rainy day, especially with good and crusty French bread. I used a kind of lentil called Black Beluga, but you could substitute french lentils if you can’t find this heirloom bean. They are named this because they look remarkably like black caviar when you wash them. If you want to make the soup vegetarian, simply skip the sausage, and step one, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to start step 2. Saute the onions, carrots and celery first and then add the red wine. The rest is pretty much the same. I might also add a teaspoon of smoked paprika to simulate the turkey’s smokiness.

Black Beluga Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup loose spicy turkey sausage
1 medium red onion
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup black beluga lentils, well rinsed and stones removed
64 ounces of turkey (or chicken) stock
6 cups of chopped swiss chard, stems removed and greens chopped into 3 inch pieces (approx)
Procedure:
1. Heat oil in a soup pot and add the sausage. Brown the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces and it cooks. When its completely cooked, remove from the pot to a bowl.
2. Add the red wine and stir up the browned bits from the pot. Let simmer for about 3 minutes and then add the onions, carrots, celery, red pepper, and garlic and simmer for 5-6 minutes until just softened.
3. Add the lentils and stock and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for 20 minutes.
4. Add the swiss chard and stir in. Simmer until the chard relaxed, about 5 minutes, and add the sausage. Simmer an additional 10 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.