One more night in West Des Moines reliving high school stories.  We never seem to get tired of this.  No matter how long it has been since we have visited with one another Jenny, Cara and I catch right up and spend our days laughing until our cheeks hurt.  After a day of eating and shopping we return to Cara’s to see what is left from our Friday night grocery adventure.  We still have vegetables and we haven’t quite finished off the bottle of olio novello – and then Cara finds tonight’s treasure in the back of the cupboard – a bag of French green lentils.   The lentils of Castellucio would be my personal preference, but lentils of any origin, color or size are the perfect vehicle for olio novello.  We make a big pot of soup, toast a baguette and settle in for the evening.

Lentil Soup

1 16ounce bag lentils
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 onion
1 hot pepper
1t thyme
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep pan (not the new stuff but definitely something you would want to eat) and sauté the chopped carrots, celery, onion and peppers until soft.  Add the lentils and the thyme.  Cover with water and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook over medium/low heat for 45 minutes or until lentils are soft.  Add more water as needed.  To serve put in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Finish each serving with a generous drizzle of hearty olive oil.