Sitting on a hilltop overlooking the vineyards of the Kurger-Rumpf winery nestled in the rolling hills of the Pflaz area of Germany, I was thrilled by the scenery and the sumptuous spread laid out before me. In this idyllic setting, I had a hearty and delicious frankfurter and lentil soup after a sunny morning of picking grapes for the harvest. Ulrike Baum, one of my lunch companions, told me that this is a typical soup of the region, “It gives us fuel after work in the vineyards.” It’s a one-pot meal that will brighten an evening dinner.

The soup has onions, carrots and celery. Ulricke’s hint here is to grate or chop these vegetables so that they will cook faster.

Frankfurters were served with the soup to make this a complete and very satisfying meal. Look for lean frankfurters with about 20 calories of fat in a 50 gram serving as listed on the nutritional label.

This meal contains 584 calories per serving with 37 percent of calories from fat.

Helpful hints

• Any type of lean frankfurter or sausage can be used.

• Balsamic vinegar can be substituted for apple cider vinegar

Countdown

• Assemble ingredients.

• Make soup.

Shopping list

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for tonight’s Dinner in Minutes:

To buy: 1 bunch celery, 1 small package dried lentils, 1/2 pound lean frankfurters, 1 bunch parsley, 1 bottle cider vinegar, 1 small loaf German-style dark bread.

Staples: Olive oil, onion, carrots, salt and black peppercorns.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Gassenheimer: DinnerInMinutes.com

For a printable copy of the recipe, click the link:

Ulrike’s Frankfurter and Lentil Soup