Yep, I've got a new pairing that I tried and enjoyed, India Pale Ale and Lentil Soup.Lentils are extremely healthy, and I've been jonezing for some lentil soup since I watched the lentils episode of Good Eats sometime last month. Therefore, I made lentil soup tonight using this recipe. The soup wasn't really cumbersome to make, but set aside at least 1 hr and 15 minutes to prepare it.
I made a few alterations: cubed ham instead of bacon, green onions instead of leeks, herbs du provence instead of rosemary, red onion, celery, and I added about half of a European-style lager that I had lying around with the stock. Yes, I even cook with beer from time to time. (Reminds me of that Julia Child quote: "I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food!")
The soup is awesome, it's very savory (ham flavor) and herby! The ham flavor made this a great match for a bottle of Red Hook's Long Hammer IPA I had in the fridge. The crisp bitterness of the hops cuts through the heavy protein and fat flavor of the soup and cleanses the palate. There is also some interesting interaction between the hop flavor and the savory flavors of the soup that somewhat reminds me of the interaction I experienced between Ranger IPA and the baked beans in a previous post.
This pairing was definitely a success and made for a delicious and healthy dinner. I highly reccomend this soup and IPA to wash it down!
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