Instant Pot Hearty Vegetable and Lentil Soup 法式綠扁豆與薏米蔬食湯［電子壓力鍋版］

There have been several snow storms in Quebec this winter. I was especially happy when I received my friend's text and invitation for a lunch at his home on a very cold and snowy day a little while back. If you ever tasted my friend's cooking, you would know why I was happy to be invited. You see, my friend is a very good cook. His food is simple but homey at the same time, which is exactly what I love to have during the cold weather. As a local, he's proud of his culture and heritage, and he often likes to share with me the traditional Québécois cooking that he grew up with.

As usual, we arrived at his house and were greeted with a familiar warm and rich aromatic air, just like at grandma's house! The first course we had was a vegetable, lentil, and ham soup. He insisted that it was nothing special and fancy. In fact, he called it a "leftover" soup, which was composed of leftover ingredients from his fridge. He told me that it was quite common for Quebec mothers to make it on the weekend when he was growing up. As much as it didn't sound like anything special, it was indeed a very delicious soup! It was made with a homemade salted ham broth, so the taste of the soup base was already flavourful with a slight saltiness. In the soup, there were a lot of different vegetables, some lentils and barley, with just a few pieces of the salted ham (that was used for making the broth) to add more flavours and texture. What I liked the most was the dill he added to the soup. It made the soup taste very unique and so French as well!

Even though the meal continued with more scrumptious food, like my friend's own homemade pâté and varieties of fancy cheeses, I have to say, I would've been perfectly satisfied with two to three bowls of the soup! (Actually, I did end up getting a second serving of it!( /)u(\') I liked it so much that after I went home, I immediately made a vegan version of it with my leftover vegetables the next day, and that is what I'm sharing with you now! I love that it's so easy to make, and you can have a big bowl as a hearty, nutritious meal. Not to mention that with the Instant Pot, it'll make your life even easier! It's the kind of soup that I'd like to keep in my fridge or freezer all winter long, and I wouldn't get sick of having it over and over again!

今年的冬季，暴風雪特別多，ㄧ個接ㄧ個。當你在這種窗外雪花滿天飛與氣溫低到只有零下-20 C的季節裡，接到當地好朋友請你去他家的邀請函，讓人感覺特別的窩心。我那位朋友非常喜歡下廚，而且他煮的食物總是有種家的味道，令人吃起來很暖心。身為一個魁北克當地的法國人，他很爲他的文化背景而感到驕傲，喜歡與我分享與介紹他從小到大熟悉的美食。

那天ㄧ踏進他家門，就如同往常一般，馬上聞到ㄧ股熟悉的香味！朋友煮的第一道菜是綜合蔬菜、法式綠扁豆與鹹火腿湯，他ㄧ直強調這個湯是以他冰箱剩下的食材做的，只是很普通的湯。他說這樣的湯是他小時候在週末時很多媽媽時常會做的ㄧ種家常料理，也叫做「剩菜湯」。雖然聽起來不怎麼特別，但吃起來卻非常的美味！朋友使用自己以鹹火腿燉的高湯來當湯底，所以湯頭有特別的鹹味。而在湯裡，他還放了許多不同的蔬菜、ㄧ些法式綠扁豆、薏米與少許燉高湯後留下來的鹹火腿塊。我最喜歡的是朋友在湯裡面還加了ㄧ點蒔蘿，使其湯的味道更加特別、又更有法國鄉村的味道。

雖然朋友還準備了其他ㄧ些很美味的菜肴(如自製法式肝醬與不同的上等起司與甜點)，但老實說，我只喝那個「剩菜湯」就很滿足了。且事實上，因為太好喝了，我那天跟朋友要了兩碗！( /)u(\') 回家之後就ㄧ直想著那個湯，隔天馬上以我冰箱剩有的蔬菜做了類似的素食「剩菜湯」，而這也是我今天所要與大家分享的食譜。做起來不但容易，而且因為湯裡面的料多又有豐富的營養，喝ㄧ大碗就很有飽足感。這個食譜除了有一般的做法，還含有電子壓力鍋 (Instant Pot) 的做法供大家參考。這是個很適合儲藏在冷天裡的冰箱或冷凍庫的ㄧ個湯，不但健康、暖身，還百喝不膩喔~

Instant Pot Hearty Vegetable and Lentil Soup (6-8 servings)

2 T   cooking oil

1     leek (white part only), rinsed and cut into 1/4" slices (1 C) *Save the green top and use it for the broth
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4" dices (1 C)

2      garlic cloves, minced

1 T   fresh rosemary, minced

2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2" dices (about 1 C)

2-3   celery stalks, cut into 1/2" dices (about 1 1/2 C)

1/2 t sea salt

black pepper to taste

A: 0.5 lb/225 g potatoes (about 2 medium), cut into 2/3" cubes
    1/2 C French Puy lentils
    1/4 C pearl barley, rinsed and soaked for at least 8 hours
    1 recipe of Vegetable Broth (about 9 C)

1 lg   zucchini, cut into 1/4" dices (about 1 C)

4 C   packed thinly sliced kale leaves (stems removed and use them for the broth)

3/4 C  chopped dill

extra virgin olive oil

*T = tbsp, t = tsp, C = cup

1. Put the lentils in a strainer, and rinse them thoroughly with cold water. Strain the soaked barley as well. Set both aside.

2. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode, and adjust to medium heat. When it's hot, add the oil, leeks, and onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. *Stir constantly and do not brown them.

3. Add the rosemary and garlic, and sauté for another 30 seconds.

4. Add carrots and sauté for 2 minutes.

5. Add celery, salt and pepper, sauté for 1 minute. Turn off Sauté mode, and add ingredients A.

6. Select Manual mode and set the timer for 13 minutes.

7. When it finishes cooking, turn it off and let it naturally release the pressure. Add zucchini, then cover and set the manual mode on for 1 minute.

8. Carefully release the pressure and add the kale. Stir to mix in, cover, and let stand in Keep Warm mode for 1 minute.

9. Open the cover and stir in about 1/2 of the dill. Check the seasoning.

To serve: ladle the soup into each bowl, sprinkle the rest of the herbs over each bowl and drizzle with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!



Stovetop method:

1. In a 3 qt stock pot over medium heat, follow the procedures 1-4 on cooking the vegetables.

2. After adding ingredients A, bring the pot to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes.

3. Add zucchini and bring it back to a boil. Simmer for 4 minutes.

4. Add kale leaves. Cover and simmer for another minute. Turn the heat off.

5. Add about 1/2 of the chopped dill. Check the seasoning. (See above on how to serve.)



                                                                                              - Yvonne 

If you have trouble digesting beans, like I do, soak the lentils for at least 6 hours.

如果腸胃不容易消化，可以像我這樣先將綠扁豆浸泡至少6個小時。

法式綠扁豆與薏米蔬食湯［電子壓力鍋版］(6-8 人份)

油            2 大匙

大蒜(底部白色部分) 1 支，洗淨、切成約0.5 cm寬 (約1杯) *深綠色部分可留下來燉高湯或做其它料理

洋蔥         1 個，切成約 0.5 cm 寬 (約1杯)

蒜頭         2 粒，切碎

迷迭香      1 大匙，切碎

紅蘿蔔      2 根，切成約 1 cm 寬 (約1杯)

西洋芹      2-3 支，切成約 1 cm 寬 (約1 1/2杯)

海鹽         1/2 小匙

黑胡椒粉  少許

A: 馬鈴薯        225 g/0.5 lb 切成約 1.7 cm 塊狀 (約1杯)
     法式綠扁豆 (French Puy lentil)  1/2 杯
     薏米         1/4  杯，洗淨後浸泡於冷水至少8小時
     蔬菜高湯    約 9 杯

櫛瓜         1 條，切成約0.5 cm小塊 (約1杯)

羽衣甘藍    4 大杯，洗淨後將菜葉切細

蒔蘿葉   約 3/4 杯，切碎 *也可以使用巴西利葉來代替，但是蒔蘿的味道會比較特別

冷抽橄欖油


1. 將法式綠扁豆放入濾網中，以冷水沖洗乾淨並瀝乾。將浸泡過的薏米也放入濾網瀝乾，放置ㄧ旁備用。

2. 將電子壓力鍋開啟，使用煎/炒功能，以中溫加熱。放入油、大蒜與洋蔥炒約5分鐘至軟，但不要讓它上色。

3. 加入迷迭香與蒜頭炒約30秒。

4. 加入紅蘿蔔繼續炒2分鐘。

5. 加入西洋芹、海鹽與胡椒再炒1分鐘。

6. 加入A料，並將電子壓力鍋切換為手動功能，並設定為13分鐘。

7. 煮好後關機，待電鍋自然洩壓後小心打開鍋蓋，加入櫛瓜。蓋上鍋蓋，然後將電子壓力鍋再次開啟，使用手動功能，並設定為1分鐘。

8. 煮好後小心洩壓，打開鍋蓋加入羽衣甘籃並攪拌均勻，蓋上鍋蓋保溫1分鐘。

9. 打開鍋蓋，加ㄧ點海鹽調味，並加入約ㄧ半的蒔蘿葉。

食用方法：將煮好的湯分別盛入碗中，淋上ㄧ點橄欖油、撒上剩餘的蒔蘿葉即可食用！


ㄧ般煮法：
1. 將ㄧ個大型的鍋子以中火加熱，依照上方部驟1-4 的做法烹煮。

2. 加入A料之後將湯煮滾，然後蓋上鍋蓋以小火煮35分鐘。

3. 加入櫛瓜，煮滾後以小火煮3-4分鐘至軟。

4. 加入羽衣甘藍葉，蓋上鍋蓋繼續煮約1分鐘。

5. 熄火後調味並加入ㄧ半的蒔蘿攪拌均勻(食用方法請看上方)。 

                                                                                              - Yvonne 

© recipe and photos by My Chouchoux