Lentil Soup Recipe

As promised, here is my version of Mark Bittman's Lentil Soup:

Lentil Soup with Bacon

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped fine
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large potato, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup of red lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 bay leaf
5-6 cups of stock and/or water (I used about 4 cups of vegetable stock and another 1 1/2 cups chicken stock)
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a big soup pot, fry up the bacon until it's crispy; add in the chopped onion and carrots and cook just until slightly soft. Add the rest of ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer the whole thing until the lentils, potatoes, and vegetables are tender (about half an hour or so).