A Hardy Soup for a Snowy Day

It’s the last day of January in this new decade and I have been watching the weather forecast for the upcoming week.  It appears we are in for a major storm with predictions of up to 14 inches of snow.  My husband is busy checking if the tractor, snow blower and most importantly the generator are in working order.  Now 14 inches of snow can be troublesome but having lived through the Blizzard of 1978 it’s just a drop in the bucket.  

No one old enough will ever forget the blizzard of 1978. It started off as an ordinary day with Rhode Islanders headed off to school or work on the morning of February 6^th. Not having a clue that an enormous Nor’easter was bearing down on them. The massive storm had winds up to 70 miles per hour and it snowed a record 33 hours straight. In the end, more than 54 inches of snow had fallen in some parts of Rhode Island. People and cars were stranded, and the state was shut down for the better part of the week.

During that time I was working as a drug counselor at the RI Adult Correctional Institution (ACI) for TASC (Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime). Several of my co-workers and I had gone out to lunch to celebrate a birthday at a local restaurant. When we left the office it was gray and cloudy and not a snowflake could be seen.

Within the hour that we were at the restaurant the snow had started and by the time we got back to the office it was snowing heavily. The office closed about 1:30 pm and my normal 20-minute ride home took more than 2 hours.

My husband Sal during that time was my boyfriend and he was working a storefront undercover operation in Woonsocket. He set up Frank’s Secondhand Shop were the motto was “I’ll buy anything you can’t sell”.

As soon as I made it home I called him to urge him to come home right away as the weather was getting bad. The snow kept coming! Finally, he left Woonsocket about 3:00 PM and It took him over five hours to make the trip home. Mind you this was before the days of cell phones! So he would have to stop along the way to call me to give me a progress report. He managed to drive the car almost all the way home but had to leave it at the intersection about two blocks away. From there he walked home arriving looking like the abominable snowman! Covered with snow and half frozen he finally made it home!

Thankfully I already had a warm bowl of lentils and rice soup waiting for him.

 Zuppa di lenticchie e riso – Lentils & Rice Soup

Ingredients:

½ lb. of dry lentils, washed.

2 or 3 bay leaves

3 garlic cloves, chopped.

1 small yellow onion, chopped.

2 carrots, chopped.

1 celery stalk, chopped.

Red pepper flakes, parsley, and basil to taste

Olive oil

15 oz. can of tomatoes, pureed.

Rice, cooked.

Directions:

Place lentils in a 4 qt. saucepan, cover with water, add bay leaves, and one clove of garlic. Cook until the lentils are soft, but not too soft. Lower heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, keeping the level of the liquid just over the lentils by periodically adding hot water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In another saucepan, sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery until the vegetables are softened. Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes turn darker in color. Add the tomatoes to the lentils. Add red pepper flakes, fresh or dry parsley and basil to taste. When ready to serve add the cooked rice to the consistency you prefer.

Serve with grated Parmigiano cheese and Italian bread.

Note: If using dry herbs, use less than if you use fresh herbs.