Lentils, Celery & Caraway Beef Broth Soup

I wish I had a more creative name for this dish.  I've been dreaming about the flavor combination of celery and caraway ever since I made the lima bean soup with celery and caraway which obviously was the basis of my inspiration here.  But I had an overabundance of celery tops I had saved, tons of thyme, some spare carrots and a bit of leftover onion as well as some lentils I had cooked earlier in the week.  I decided to try to change it up by using beef broth which I had in the pantry.  I thought the lentil, beef and caraway might be a nice combination and while I can get overwhelmed by the flavor of thyme I thought it would really help round out the flavors.  So while this is a true kitchen sink soup, didn't leave the house to get anything, I think it turned out pretty well!

LENTILS CELERY & CARAWAY BEEF BROTH SOUP

Approx. 2 stalks celery finely diced
1/4 red onion finely diced
1 medium carrot finely diced
0live oil
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
2 cups beef broth
water
1 bay leaf
2-3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (if you don't have pre-cooked you can rinse and add the lentils to the soup to cook)
hot sauce
red wine vinegar
Worcestershire

--In a heavy bottom pot heat oil over medium and add the carrot, celery and onion with a bit of salt and pepper.  Saute about 10 minutes

--Add the garlic and caraway and saute another 10 minutes or so

--Turn the heat to high and add a splash of the beef broth to scrape up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot

--Add the rest of the beef broth, 1 cup water, 1 bay leaf, thyme sprigs and a couple splashes of hot sauce

--Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and add the lentils

--Let simmer for almost an hour, tasting and adjusting seasoning as you go.  Add more water if necessary.


--About halfway through I added some more hot sauce and a splash of red wine vinegar and a little Worcestershire at the end. 

--Pull out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs before serving