Lentil Soup with Bacon and Elk
Yield: About 4 qt
2 pounds of elk meat such as round steak or “stew meat”
1 pound lentils
1 large bay leaf
12 oz. of smoked bacon
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots, minced
4 small celery ribs, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 qt. beef stock
2 large red bell peppers
2 T rubbed sage
2T Sherry vinegar
1T New Mexico chili powder
1 cup dry red wine
2t crushed black pepper and Kosher salt
Method:
Pick through the lentils removing any small stones or other contaminants.
Put the lentils in a large soup pot add 1 ½ qt of water, 1 ½ qt of beef stock, sage and the bay leaf then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer until the lentils are soft.
In a large pan sauté the bacon until well browned then remove the bacon from the pan leaving behind the fat.
In the reserved fat sauté the vegetables until soft (about five minutes over medium heat) then add the veggies to the lentils and stock
Add enough additional stock to cover.
Cut the elk into ½ inch cubes, season well with salt and pepper and sauté until brown then add to the soup pot. Deglaze the sauté pan with the red wine, boil for a minute or two and add to the pot.
Flame roast the red peppers, peel, deseed, cut into ¼ in dice, and then add to the pot.
Thin the soup to the desired consistency with additional beef stock.
Season with the vinegar, black pepper and the New Mexico chili powder.
Add salt to taste.
Chef’s notes:
The better bacon you use, the better the end product will be. Nueskes’ apple wood smoked bacon is a great choice. Beef or pork can be substituted for the elk and though the soup will not be the same, it will still be quite good.
I like to add a small amount (1t) of ground chipotle chili powder. In this soup I’m looking for a smoky and just a little bit a spice. The chipotle is a dried and smoked jalapeno but is quite fiery so use caution with this. Sherry vinegar adds interest and nuance to the soup. Enjoy!