Hearty Lentil and Root Vegetable Soup with Rosemary

Peel and dice the onion. Scrub or peel the carrots and celery, then dice all three into a small even dice — this is your mirepoix and it should be uniform so it cooks at the same rate.

Scrub the potatoes and dice into 1-inch cubes. Peel parsnips and turnip, then dice similarly. Keep the dice on the larger side — they will soften during the long simmer and you want some substance left.

Warm the olive-oil in the bottom of a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of the salt. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onion turns soft and translucent, about 8 minutes — do not rush this.

Mince the garlic and add it to the pot. Cook for another minute until fragrant, then pour in the remaining olive-oil.

Add the diced potato, parsnip, and turnip to the pot. Stir to coat everything in the oil and aromatics.

Rinse the lentils under cold water and pick out any small stones or odd bits. Add them to the pot along with the chicken-broth, remaining salt, black-pepper, rosemary, and thyme.

Bring the pot to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Skim off any foam that rises in the first few minutes.

Partially cover the pot and let it simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the root vegetables are soft enough to give way when pressed with the back of a spoon. Stir occasionally and check that it is not reducing too aggressively — add a splash of water if the broth is disappearing faster than expected.

Remove from heat. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze in the juice from one half, stirring gently. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

Ladle into deep bowls, ensuring each serving gets a generous scoop of lentils and root vegetables. A drizzle of good olive-oil over the top is not required but Esther would not judge you for it.