Soul-satisfying lentil soup from Germany’s wine country

Published 3:45 pm Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Sitting on a hilltop overlooking the vineyards of the Kurger-Rumpf winery nestled in the rolling hills of the Pflaz area of Germany, I was thrilled by the scenery and the sumptuous spread laid out before me.

In this idyllic setting, I had a hearty and delicious frankfurter and lentil soup after a sunny morning of picking grapes for the harvest.

Ulrike Baum, one of my lunch companions, told me that this is a typical soup of the region.

“It gives us fuel after work in the vineyards,” Ulrike said.

It’s a one-pot meal that will brighten an evening dinner.

The soup has onions, carrots and celery. Ulricke’s hint here is to grate or chop these vegetables so that they will cook faster.

Frankfurters were served with the soup to make this a complete and satisfying meal. Look for lean frankfurters with about 20 calories of fat in a 50 g serving as listed on the nutritional label.

This meal contains 584 calories per serving with 37 percent of calories from fat.

Ulrike’s frankfurter and lentil soup

2teaspoons olive oil

1cup coarsely chopped or grated onion

1cup coarsely chopped or grated carrots

1cup coarsely chopped or grated celery

4cups water

1/2cup dried lentils

1/2pound lean frankfurters, cut into 1-inch slices (about 11/2 cups)

2tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1cup chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2slices German-style dark bread

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to a rolling boil. Slowly add the lentils so that the water continues to boil. Cover and boil 15 minutes. Add the frankfurters and vinegar and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the parsley and pepper to taste. Frankfurters contain salt. Taste the soup before adding more salt. Serve with the bread. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 584 calories (37 percent from fat), 24.3 g fat (8.6 g saturated, 19.7 g monounsaturated), 50 mg cholesterol, 31.2 g protein, 62.0 g carbohydrates, 21.5 g fiber, 1180 mg sodium.