Comforting Pork & Lentil Soup

One of my best friends was in the hospital last weekend. Thankfully, she's on the mend and home now. I offered to send a meal over one evening this week so she would have one less thing to worry about. So, I cooked a big pot of soup and have my fingers crossed that it's cooler today and soup will be appropriate and appreciated.

Ingredients

• 1 T butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 C diced onions
• 1 C chopped carrots
• 1 C chopped celery
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 t minced ginger
• 1 t minced turmeric
• 12 to 16 ounces pork loin, thinly sliced into strips
• 6 to 7 C chicken stock
• 1-1/2 C green or brown lentils
• 1/4 C fresh tomato sauce
• freshly ground salt, as needed
• freshly ground pepper, as needed
• freshly squeezed lemon juice, for serving
• dried red pepper chili flakes, for serving

Procedure

Melt butter in olive oil. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Cook until the onions are softened and translucent.

Add the pork and brown until cooked through.

Pour in the stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Add in the lentils and bring back to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until lentils are softened, approximately 50 to 60 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle into individual bowls and squeeze lemon juice over the top. Sprinkle with red pepper chili flakes, if desired.