Lentil soup chases the chill

This is an excerpt from Maureen Fitzgerald's cooking blog, "My Daughter's Kitchen."

Lentil soup is one of those staples you can turn to as the weather turns chilly.

If you have a few basics on hand, this is a soup you can throw together, with a soothing, hearty result. It comes with a punch of protein without the heaviness of meat.

It's exactly the kind of recipe I'm trying to pass along to my daughter - easy, healthy, and cheap - for the cooking blog we have started. The soup comes together in about 40 minutes, and is oh-so-much-better than what you would get out of a can.

I've tried different lentil soup recipes over the years, even one with ginger, another with coconut. But I've always come back to the Italian classic, with onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. This recipe, from Jill Duplex, in Good Cooking: The New Basics, calls for a can of crushed tomatoes. I've made it without the tomatoes too, when I didn't have a can on hand, and I liked the result just as well.

I made this soup last weekend, after standing outside in the freezing rain and snow to watch my college son run a cross-country race. Those boys were so frozen after the race, I had to come home and make soup to get the image of frozen hair and bright red arms and legs out of my mind. But, not to worry, I did resist the temptation to drive the pot of soup right back to the dorm.

Abruzzese Lentil Soup

Makes 6 servings

1 1/4 cups small brown or green lentils

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 bay leaves

6 cups chicken stock

1 onion, peeled

2 celery stalks

2 carrots, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

14-ounce can crushed tomatoes

14-ounce can chickpeas, drained

Sea salt and pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

1. Rinse the lentils, then place in a pan with the garlic, bay leaves, and 6 cups chicken stock. Cook until almost tender, about 30 minutes, skimming off the foam occasionally.

2. In the meantime, finely slice the onion and celery and dice the carrots. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes and stir well, then add the lentils and their cooking liquid. Simmer until nice and soupy, about 20 minutes.

4. Add the chickpeas, sea salt and pepper, and simmer for at least 10 minutes longer, adding extra water as necessary.

5. Stir in the chopped parsley and ladle into soup bowls. Serve with grated parmesan.

Note: Lentils from Abruzzi or Umbria in Italy or Puy in France are best, but regular supermarket lentils will do.

Per Serving: 461 calories; no cholesterol; 988 milligrams sodium; 74 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 31 grams dietary fiber.

Contact food editor Maureen Fitzgerald at mfitzgerald@phillynews.com, 215-854-5744, or @mydaughterskit on Twitter. Follow the blog at www.philly.com/philly/blogs/ mydaughter/.