New Year's Eve

It's Jan 4th and I've managed not to use any recipes all year! Nachos, steaks, and restaurants. It may have been New Year's Eve that did me in. I'll post the recipe first then detail my experience.

Lentil Soup with Beef (or, as I tell my husband, Beef Stew with lentils)

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (from foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
6 (14-ounce) cans beef broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups (about 11 ounces) lentils, rinsed
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions
Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add half of the beef and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, rosemary, and oregano to the pot. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Return the beef and any accumulated juices from the bowl to the pot. Add the broth and tomatoes with their juice. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the meat is just tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Add the lentils. Cover and continue simmering until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.


I've made this once before and it was great. My husband loved it and even ate the leftovers, which he never does. I originally planned to make this on New Year's day and I was going to make that stuffed veal that I didn't get to make on Christmas Eve, but once again I never made it to the store to buy the ingredients. So, our New Year's Eve feast it is!

The day was doomed from the start since I was expecting a service call. (We're switching from cable to do a bundle thing; we'll see how it works out.) You can never plan around service calls. In particular when they tell you "some time today between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m." I started dinner at 5 pm when I started calling the service provider, but since it was a holiday, they were closed early. For some reason, I kept calling.

I preheat the pot and cut and season the beef. Redial and place beef in pot. Peel and or chop veggies and herbs. Tears from onion, not from service center being closed. Swap beef for veggies. Talk to friends on phone at how ridiculous it is that it's 5:30 and no one is here yet. Keeping hopes up.

By now, all three children are on the kitchen floor playing tea party right under my feet. I return beef to pot and add in broth but forget to add the tomatoes. I had them in my cabinet, I just forgot amidst the commotion.

When it's time to add the lentils, it's 6:30 and I have given up hope on the service call. The worst part is, I have no one to yell at until Saturday because the next day is a holiday. I take out my aggression on the parsley. Finely chopped.

By 7 pm, Shane is home and we take turns griping about our day. I haven't been out of the house all day and felt like a caged bird so I take one of the little ones to the store with me while the soup cools. Before I run out the door, I try the soup and think it tastes a little bland so I pour in some salt and pepper and add the parsley.

When I get back, everyone is calm and we eat. I notice Shane isn't gobbling it up like last time. I have some and notice it is very, very salty.

"It's a little salty, don't you think?" I ask
"Yeah," says Shane.

I am starving so I have seconds but notice Shane instead grabs some yogurt. He tells me he's not that hungry. I save the leftovers anyway. It just figures.

IMPORTANT LESSON: Go easy on the salt because it will ruin even the best dish!