New Year's Lentil Soup

Did you ever wonder why Italians eat lentil soup on New Year's Day? We eat it for wealth and prosperity because the flat legumes were once believed to resemble Roman coins. Lentils, or lenticchie can be served with greens, collard, spinach, or turnip greens for extra luck. The greens are the color of money and some believe the greens will increase the flow of money in your home. Hence, the more lentil soup you eat the better you chances are in the new year of being wealthy. I say, the more lentil soup you eat, the more flatulence you shall become.

As a little girl, I remember my Sicilian family making lentil soup in the pressure cooker. Just saying those two words together, reminds me of the day my sister Julie decided to explore the pressure cooker. Let's just say, there was pea soup on the ceiling, the walls and dripping from the molding! That day, I vowed NEVER to use a pressure cooker.

After some research, I found out every country has a superstition that they follow to start off the new year. Adding pork or ham is also considered lucky. NEVER EAT CHICKEN OR TURKEY - your luck will fly away. You can't make this stuff up, it's been passed down from generation to generation. I fear all these traditions will die with our generation because my daughter is gluten-free and cooks healthy. Somehow, I don't refer to Italian cooking as "healthy".

Sicilians like to end the evening with an espresso and Struffoli, little fried dough balls drizzled with honey and sprinkles. This represents sweet promises for the new year and the sprinkles ensure a colorful year ahead. The enlightenment of stuffoli and why it is served only around Christmas and the new year.

Now we know why we eat the lentils, let's get ready to make a pot of lentil soup.

You'll need:

3 medium carrots chopped

2 stalks of celery (leaves too) chopped

1 small onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic - minced

1 package of dried lentils

3 quarts chicken stock

3 bay leaves

1 tsp black pepper

1 cup cubed ham steak

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp McCormick Moroccan Spice Mix

4 tsp olive oil

Before any soup is started you need your "misen place" - put everything in its place. Chop the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and set aside.

Heat the oil in the bottom of your pot and add the chopped veggies. Cook until they are translucent. Don't you hate when people say that? It's easier to say, cook until the veggies get mushy! Add the chopped ham and allow the ham to start to brown.

While this is cooking, it's time to sort your lentils. I don't even know if this is still needed but I was taught this way by my 98 yr old neighbor in Belleville and still do it. She told me that "lentils have little stones or lentils that are discolored or misshapen, they have to be thrown away." The package of lentils all look the same to me, but nonetheless, I dump the package on a cutting board and remove the ones that look odd.

Once sorted the lentils are added to the soup pot with the chicken stock. Add your spices and allow the soup to simmer for an hour or until your lentils are fork-tender or have no bite. That means the same as translucent above - MUSHY.

How you serve the soup is up to you. I normally serve this with a piece of Italian bread. You can get fancy and serve in a glass bowl with chopped parsley and a drizzle of sour cream.

I wish you all a prosperous and happy new year. Let's pray 2021 is filled with health, happiness, and wealth.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM HOMETOWN FLAVORS!