Brown 1/2 lb of diced ham in oil in a large pot. (I use a ham steak and just a bit of olive oil)
Take that out of the pot and put it aside.
Next you need these:
1 cup of diced onion
1/2 cup of diced celery
1/2 cup of diced carrot
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced.
Take all that stuff and put it in the pot. Reduce heat to medium and sweat until the onions are translucent.
Next you need these:
1/2 lb brown lentils (or which ever you like)
1/4 cup dry sherry
Deglaze the pot with the sherry. (Deglaze just means push it around the pot with the other stuff, kind of scraping as you go so the brown tasty bits get off the bottom of the pot.) When it's nearly evaporated add:
Ham
5 cups chicken or veg broth
2 cups diced tomato
2tsp thyme
Bring it all to a boil then reduce to med-low. Simmer for 30ish min. or until the lentils are tender.
When it is almost ready to serve add:
2 cups chopped fresh spinach and
Salt and pepper to taste
Finish the soup with about 1 tbs of red wine vinegar to brighten the flavors.
I like to put a little parm or goat cheese on top.
Yum.
