Lakeside walks on a winter’s day generally result in an appetite for soup. Such was the case when I happened on a nook of a bakery in a small village near my home that served a wonderful daily soup of lentils and vegetables, alongside huge sandwiches, maple glazed biscuits (another recipe to replicate soon), huge cookies and lofty scones. Baking I can always have but fresh, hot soup on a cold day? Who can resist? Here is the soup as best I can recreate it. It is zesty but not muddy with lentils but more sophisticated than that. Vegetables are finely minced and the flavoring is just so. The original had big green peas floating around in it but I prefer golden kernels of corn, dotting the lentil horizon. Like most hearty winter soups, this would take well to a few slivers of chorizo sausage. I serve it as is or in individual bowls, each topped with garlic bread rounds, and a pile of asiago cheese shavings. Pop it under a broiler for a few minutes to make the cheese bubble and sizzle.