mark bittman's lentil soup

Man, is NYC ever spectacular from a plane at night. You fly for miles with nothing but a few sparkles here and there and then, POW, your looking at the brightness of a galaxy, the sprawl of a discarded diamond gown, the illumination of phosphorescent plankton beneath the ocean's surface.

Coming home from a trip, even a short one, can bring up all kinds of emotions, but mostly you feel the welcome comfort of familiarity. Everything is in the place you want it. Your bed has the shape and firmness you like, your books are all patiently waiting for you to read them, and your kitchen is... well... empty.

I know I've said this before, but it is so nice to open a cookbook, turn to the page of a dish you are thinking of making, to, say, lessen the pain of your dwindling flu symptoms, a dish that promises warmth, comfort, and health, and you discover that you have all of the ingredients (minus the carrots). Even in your cleared out, post-vacation kitchen. How amazing is that???

I found this recipe in Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook. The recipe in the book is a little different than below link. In the book he adds 2 cups chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, many sprigs fresh thyme, and ups the carrot and celery count to 3 each, while lowering the lentil count to 1/2 cup. Otherwise its pretty close, and if you decide to make one on his website, no harm there.

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