1½ cups lentils

2 medium leeks

3 stalks celery

1 onion

6 whole cloves

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

6 cups water

2 cups apple juice (with no added sugar)

1 bay leaf

1½ cups diced tart apple

• Rinse the lentils. Slice the leeks thinly, using only the white and the light green parts. Chop the celery coarsely. Stud the onion with the cloves.

• In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat the oil on medium. Add the leeks and sauté, stirring often for 3 minutes. Add the water and the apple juice, bringing the mixture to a boil. Add the lentils, celery, whole onion, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture back to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

• Toward the end of the above cooking period, peel and chop the apple. Add it to the mixture and simmer, again uncovered, for 15 more minutes. Discard the celery pieces, whole onion, and bay leaf. Serve.

Serves 8–10

Read the label on the apple juice carefully. This recipe calls for a juice with no added sugar.