Escarole Lentil Soup

Healthy and delicious!  Escarole imparts a natural butter flavor when it is cooked in a soup.  Lentils are rich and deep in flavor.  This escarole lentil combination makes a lovely soup.
     Recipe:  Saute a little bit each of fine diced carrot, celery and onion with a little bit of olive oil over medium high heat in a sauce pot.  (About a handful of the mirepoix is enough.)  
     Add a little bit of minced garlic. 
     When the vegetables are cooked soft, add a handful of chopped escarole leaves. 
     When the escarole becomes wilted, add enough soup broth to make 1 or 2 bowls of soup.  (Chicken, vegetable or pork broth is best for this soup.) 
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add a bay leaf.
     Add a pinch of oregano. 
     Add 2 handfuls of lentil beans dried lentil beans. 
     Bring the soup to a boi.
     Turn the temperature to medium low heat.
     Slowly simmer the soup till the lentils are cooked soft. 
     Remove the bay leaf. 
     Mash half of the lentils in the soup. 
     Ladle the soup into a soup bowl.
     Tasty and simple!  The buttery escarole flavor is so nice with lentil beans.  The mirepoix vegetables fill the soup with flavor.  If you use vegetable broth, this soup can be a very nice vegetarian meal.  Yum! ...  Shawna