Lentil Vegetable Soup (with Optional Chorizo)

This is a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook with some tweaks. First, I don't make it vegetarian, but it can be made meatless with vegetable stock and no chorizo. Alberto loves it with chorizo, though, and he says it "tastes just like home" (Madrid, Spain). I also usually make half of the recipe because it makes so much, but you can also freeze half. Once it's all in the pot, you can ignore it for an hour. Simple!

1 pound French green lentils (Puy lentils)
3 large onions, chopped
2-3 leeks, chopped, white part only
3 cloves garlic, minced (when making half, I use 2 cloves)
1/4 cup good regular olive oil (not extra virgin), plus additional for drizzling
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
8 stalks celery, chopped
8 carrots, large dice
3 quarts chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water with vegetable powder - I like the Marigold brand)
1 big heaping spoonful of tomato paste
*1 link of cooking chorizo, sliced into round coins, then slice in half
a big splash of red wine
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. If using the chorizo, add it now.

Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for one hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan.

*Cooking chorizo is soft, like fresh sausage. It is not a dried link like salami. It is not usually very spicy. Regular chorizo is dried and cured and can be eaten immediately. Cooking chorizo must be cooked before serving. It freezes well, so you can buy a package and just take out as much as you need at one time.