Hearty lentil stew with bacon and potatoes

Rinse the lentils in a sieve with hot water and drain. Peel or wash and clean the celery, potatoes, carrots and onion. Cut the potatoes into coarse pieces, dice the rest very small.

Bring the broth to a boil. Add the vegetables and the drained lentils as well as the bay leaf. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes over a low heat. Stir from time to time and add some more broth as needed.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour and sauté until dark brown. Remove some cooking water from the lentils and stir into the seasoning (beware of splashing hazard!). Then stir them into the lentil soup and simmer gently for another 10 minutes so that the soup thickens slightly. Stir from time to time and add some more broth as needed. Season with salt, pepper and vinegar and remove the bay leaf.

Fry the bacon in a non-stick pan until golden brown and sprinkle over the soup with the parsley. Serve hearty lentil stew with bacon and potatoes.