**French lentil soup with kale + bacon and waffled scamorza “en carroza”**

Serving this soup with the indulgent scamorza sandwiches here is always a treat, but it's also great with your favorite crusty bread or croutons

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Ingredients

• 4 oz good bacon, chopped
• 2 large (or 3 small) carrots, chopped
• 1 cup leeks, white and light green parts, washed and thinly sliced (or about 1 small yellow onion diced)
• pinch red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp dried Turkish oregano
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
• 1 T red wine vinegar, plus (optionally) more for serving
• 1 cup French green lentils, picked over for odd little bits
• 6 cups beef stock (when I don't have liquid stock on hand, I always use this)
• 5 oz (about 4-5 handfuls) kale, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• sea salt + freshly cracked black pepper
• good olive oil and Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

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Instructions

1. Add bacon to a cold Dutch oven or soup pot and turn flame to med-high.

   Cook until bacon renders about half its fat and pan begins to take on color, about 5 mins.

2. Add carrots, leeks, pepper flakes, thyme and oregano and cook until veggies

   begin to give off liquid. Add vinegar. Deglaze pan, scraping up all brown bits from bacon.

3. Add lentils and beef stock and bring to a boil; then reduce to low, cover and

   simmer for 30 mins or until lentils are tender.

4. Add kale, pushing down to submerge in broth, and cook for another 5 mins or

   so, until leaves have wilted substantially but kale remains green. Taste and

   adjust for salt and pepper, if necessary.

5. Serve soup piping hot in big bowls with a scant drizzle of vinegar, olive oil and

   a scattering of parm, if desired.

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Waffled Scarmorza "en Carroza"

Ingredients

• 8 slices good, squishy white sandwich bread (I used sliced King's Hawaiian bread)
• generous ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 8 oz smoked scamorza (or smoked mozzarella), about 1 large ball
• light frying oil for waffle iron or griddle
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat waffle iron to medium-high. (See note for pan-fried version.)

   Brush iron lightly with oil.

2. Pour milk, flour and beaten egg into three separate shallow dishes.

   Generously season flour with salt and pepper and mix well.

3. Thinly slice scamorza into about 8 pieces. Arrange two slices of cheese

   between two slices of bread, leaving about a ½" border between the cheese

   and the crust. Firmly smoosh edges of bread together.

4. Lightly dip both sides of sandwich into milk, then seasoned flour, then egg.

   It doesn't need a thick batter, so you can be quick about it. Just a light coating

   of each will do. Transfer dredged sandwich to waffle iron and griddle until

   timer chimes (or until sandwich is deeply golden and escaping cheese is

   crisped and browned).

5. Repeat to make remaining sandwiches. (You can keep prepared sandwiches

   hot in a warm oven if desired.)

6. Cut sandwiches into halves or quarters and enjoy alone or with soup for dunking.

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This Recipe Is Published Here

bon appetit