Cream Of Vegetable Soup With Ham And Lentils - cooking recipe

Ingredients

100 g smoked ham
1 None onion, peeled and sliced
1 None carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
150 g celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 None leek, sliced
5 None black peppercorns
1 None bay leaf
75 g black lentils, soaked overnight in 500ml water
25 g butter
25 g plain flour
100 ml whipping cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1-2 tbsp oil
5 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation

Place the ham, onion, carrot, celeriac, leek, peppercorns, bay leaf and 4 cups water in a pot. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 25 mins.
Meanwhile, cook the drained lentils in boiling water for 12-15 mins, until softened. Drain and set aside.
Remove the ham from the soup, then strain the vegetables, reserving the stock. Finely chop the ham. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the ham until crisp. Add the lentils and parsley and heat through. Keep warm.
Melt the butter in a clean saucepan, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 mins. Gradually pour in the reserved stock, stirring constantly, then whisk in the cream and mustard. Bring to a boil and season. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the ham and lentil mixture.