Lentil Soup - Pasta e Lenticchie

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons salt
1 16 oz. package dry lentils, picked and rinsed
1 cup chopped tomatoes (optional)
Skip the canned chicken broth and add 2 fresh chicken breasts to 4 quarts of water.
1 pound of tubettini or vermicelli or capellini, or small tubular pasta, or pasta mista small pasta.

Directions

In a large pot place your chicken breasts, chopped vegetables, garlic, and dry lentils.

Then fill with cold water until it covers the entire contents. Make sure your pot is large enough to avoid overflow.

Place the olive oil, hot pepper flakes and salt into the pot once it reaches a boil.

Cook on medium heat for at least an hour and one half or until chicken is completely cooked.

20 minutes before serving - in a separate pot cook the pasta in boiling water. Drain the pasta, add it to the lentils.

Serve in soup bowls sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Remove the chicken from the pot and Place in a serving platter. Serve whole or shredded, it will shred easily.

Variation: For Lenticchie e scarola, lentils with escarole, leave out the pasta and in its place add a 1/2 - to 1-pound head of escarole, chopped or shredded. This will have a soupier consistency.