Slow Cooker Curried Lentil Soup

New Year's Eve. Earl and I sat on the couch and watched the ball drop on television, same as every year. He had a glass of ginger ale because champagne hasn't agreed with his medications since 2003. I had a small glass of the good stuff — the Moët that Denise brought over, because Denise believes New Year's Eve requires proper bubbles and she is correct.

At midnight, the fireworks went off over downtown Savannah and we could hear them from the living room. Earl looked at me and said, "Happy New Year, Dot." I said, "Happy New Year, Earl." He said, "2019. You believe that?" I said, "I believe everything we've made it to, baby." He took my hand. His hand was cold — his hands are always cold now, the circulation not what it was — and I held it between both of mine to warm it up, the way I've warmed his hands every winter for forty-two years.

He said, "Next year I want to take you somewhere." I said, "Where?" He said, "Sapelo Island. I know you've always wanted to go where your grandmother Pearl lived." And I looked at that man — that tired, thin, stubborn, beautiful man — and I said, "Okay, Earl. Let's go to Sapelo Island." Because you don't say no to a plan like that. You say yes and you believe it and you let the future hold what it's going to hold.

New Year's Day dinner: black-eyed peas for luck, collard greens for money, cornbread for gold, and ham hocks for the flavor that holds it all together. This is the same menu Hattie Pearl made every January 1st, and her mother before her, and probably Pearl on Sapelo Island before all of them. You eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day because tradition says they bring luck, and I have buried enough people to know that luck is real and fragile and should be courted with every tool available, including legumes.

Denise came for dinner. Kayla came. We ate the peas and the greens and we talked about the new year — Kayla's career, Denise's plans, the baby in Atlanta. Nobody talked about Earl's health. Nobody talked about how thin he is. Nobody talked about the appointment with Dr. Pham next week. We talked about the future as if it were guaranteed, which is the bravest thing a family can do.

Now go on and feed somebody.

Hattie Pearl’s black-eyed peas have always been the centerpiece of this meal, but over the years I’ve learned that what matters is the legume and the intention — the act of cooking something humble and slow on the first day of the year, filling the house with a smell that says we are still here. This slow cooker lentil soup has become part of that same ritual for me, started the night before so it’s ready by the time family comes through the door: a pot of something that simmered quietly all through the morning while Earl slept in and I sat with my coffee and watched the light come up over Savannah and thought about Sapelo Island.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 8 hrs | Total Time: 8 hrs 15 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dried green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Fresh parsley or cilantro, for serving

Instructions

Combine in the slow cooker. Add the lentils, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes, and broth to a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, cayenne (if using), salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Drizzle in the olive oil and stir to combine.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours or on HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the lentils are completely tender and beginning to break down into the broth.
Finish and adjust. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. If you prefer a thicker soup, use the back of a spoon to mash some of the lentils against the side of the pot and stir them in.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve with cornbread or crusty bread alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Slow Cooker Curried Lentil Soup — The Luck You Cook All Day Long