Jesus Bar Lentil Soup

Jesus Bar Lentil Soup
 finally written down on February 15, 2013

Kirk, from his hospital bed, has asked for food. Thus food he shall receive. But then the divine Emilia asked the rational question, “What are you going to make?”
What indeed? It needs to be all foods in a bowl, heavy on the protein but with lots of veg and carbs. There is only one answer to that question: Jesus Bar Lentil Soup.
The Jesus Bar is the Barri Gotic in Barcelona. I can’t tell you the address but can give you directions. Come out of the Cathedral of Barcelona and walk down the long, lovely steps. Once on the flat small plaza, walk until you are in front the hotel, about 60 ft, then turn left.  There you will find a warren of small streets fanning out into the Gotic. Turn broad left and get lost. I think it’s two streets and Philip just likes the idea of getting lost.
The Jesus Bar is medium size for the neighborhood. When you walk in, there is a glass cold case on the right next to the reception desk. If you are a tired Gotician you can drop in, pick up some good stuff and heat it up at home. Thru the doorway on the left are the two dining rooms. The tables are small and rickety, the menu is in 4 languages and the service is quick. We went there twice and that’s how I learned the soup.

2 lbs lentils
2 lbs fresh chorizo
2 cups chopped ham
one large onion
5 cloves of garlic
2 stalks celery
1 large carrot
1 red bell pepper
2 small or 1 medium zucchini
2 medium red or white potatoes

Okay, this is really simple.
Chop up your aromatics and sweat them in your big soup/pasta pot. Use your favorite oil; mine is canola.
While that is happening, cube the potatoes and zucchini and dump them in the pot.
Put in the lentils and fill the pot ¾ with water and turn up the heat.
Put in the skinned chorizo and ham. You want to make sure the chorizo is melting.
Add at least 3 bay leaves, put on the lid, and set the whole mess on simmer.
That’s it. The cooking will take about 2 hours. But, it is always better the next day. DO NOT SEASON UNTIL THE COOKING IS DONE AND YOU HAVE TASTED. The chorizo and ham have a lot of seasoning. Happy Cooking ♡ß