On the right day, a deep bowl of lentil soup is all the food I need. The homey, almost spare quality satisfies me in a way fancier recipes cannot. The undertones of frugality, poverty even, are avoided by rich seasonings of unsmoked bacon, herbs, and good stock. The backbone of earthiness is given a fresh top note with mint and lemon juice. You can keep your beef Wellington.

　　

Ingredients

enough for 4

　　a large onion

　　olive oil

　　garlic – 3 or 4 cloves

　　unsmoked bacon or pancetta – a good handful, chopped

　　flat-leaf parsley – a small bunch

　　chard – a large bunch

　　Puy or Castelluccio lentils – 1 1/4 cups (250g)

　　stock or, at a push, water – 4 cups (a liter)

　　a bay leaf – optional

　　juice of a lemon

　　mint – a small bunch

　　

Step 1

Peel the onion and chop it finely, then let it soften in a deep pan over medium to low heat with a little olive oil. Peel the garlic, slice it thinly, then add to the onion with the chopped bacon or pancetta. Chop the parsley and stir it in.

　　

Step 2

Wash the chard thoroughly, set aside four beautiful stalks and their leaves, then separate the remaining stalks and leaves. Chop the stalks coarsely and set the leaves aside. Add the chopped chard stalks to the onion and bacon and continue cooking,

　　

Step 3

Wash the lentils thoroughly, then stir them into the onion and bacon. Pour over the stock or water and bring to a boil, skimming off any froth that comes to the surface. You can add a bay leaf or two if you like. Decrease the heat so that the lentils simmer merrily, then almost cover the pot and simmer until they are tender, but far from collapse—about thirty minutes, depending on your lentils.

　　

Step 4

Tear the reserved chard leaves up a bit. Stir them into the soup. Steam the reserved whole leaves and stalks until tender.

　　

Step 5

Season the soup with salt, black pepper, lemon juice, and the mint leaves, tasting as you go. Ladle the hot soup into warm bowls, add the steamed chard, and serve with more lemon and mint for those who want it.

　　Tender