Red Lentil Soup
This recipe was adapted from Turkish Red Lentil Soup. The modification made the soup hearty and delicious so it could stand alone as a meal. I usually pack my soups with vegetables, thus the quantity specified is increased from the original recipe. Most of my spices come from Penzeys Spices because the spices are fresh and full of robust flavor. Also, don't forget to taste everything along the way and adjust as needed, you are cooking for your taste buds so let them guide you.
Ingredients
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced (I use a garlic zoom to keep the smell off my fingers)
3 carrots finely chopped (I used the slicer option on my grater)
2+ Tablespoons of tomato paste (I used Amore tomato paste, which comes in a tube. It stays fresh for months instead of the canned stuff and since I don't usually use the whole can I opted for the tube).
1 cup of lentils rinsed and sifted for any stones (in reality they don't have to be red, I usually have a difficult time finding the red ones in the grocery store).
1+ teaspoon of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of Hungarian paprika (this is the best so don't get it from any other country)
Olive oil (not sure how much I really use but enough to cook with and also drizzle on afterward)
Cayenne pepper (I use a good amount, of this stuff so go easy initially if you don't like your food talking back at you)
1 small butternut squash
4-5 cups of water
1 heaping teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon chicken or vegetable flavor (since I have no time to make my own stock I choose to use one that has real ingredients instead of artificial substitutes).
3-4 bay leaves
Kosher salt flakes (I will explain later so don't go adding it randomly)
Garnish
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh mint leaves (I am growing my own plant)
Fresh lemon juice
Directions
**You can either peel and dice the butternut squash to add to the soup or you can make your life easier by cutting it in half and laying it face down in an oven-proof dish to cook at 350F for 30-40 mins (until it is soft when pierced with a knife).
1. Heat 4 cups of water in a kettle so its ready to go
2. Chop onion and carrots, mince garlic - set everything aside separately
3. Combine cumin, Hungarian paprika and cayenne pepper
4. In a large pot heat olive oil on medium heat and then add the onions. Sauté until translucent and golden brown, mix continuously so things don't burn.
5. Add the garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins, mixing continuously (you might need to add extra olive oil if things are looking dry)
6. Add carrots and spices. Sauté for 2-3 mins, mixing continuously.
7. Add water, lentils, tomato paste (I added more than 2 teaspoons, tasting everything along the way to see how the flavors melded)
8. Add Better than Bouillon and bay leaves.
9. Bring everything to a boil
10. Lower the heat to a simmer and loosely cover the pot. Simmer for 25-30 mins.
11. Cool the butternut squash until you can scoop out the insides with a spoon (avoid the skin) and add to the soup.
12. Cool the soup slightly (10 mins) to make pureeing is easier and then in batches (my blender was not large enough) puree the soup to a chunky consistency (remove bay leaves prior to this). I prefer the soup to be chunky as it makes me feel like I am eating real food instead of Gerber.
13. Mix everything together and taste it. At this point you can adjust the salt/spice content. Cayenne pepper tends to bring out the flavors so feel free to add more if you want more a kick. Add the cayenne pepper before adding more salt because the pepper enhances the salt flavor. Lemon is acidic and will also taste salty. You can also add more cumin at this point.
14. Serve the soup in a bowel and drizzle some olive oil. Add diced mint leaves and serve with a lemon slice on the side to squeeze into the soup. The lemon really brings everything together so don't skimp out.
Ingredients
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced (I use a garlic zoom to keep the smell off my fingers)
3 carrots finely chopped (I used the slicer option on my grater)
2+ Tablespoons of tomato paste (I used Amore tomato paste, which comes in a tube. It stays fresh for months instead of the canned stuff and since I don't usually use the whole can I opted for the tube).
1 cup of lentils rinsed and sifted for any stones (in reality they don't have to be red, I usually have a difficult time finding the red ones in the grocery store).
1+ teaspoon of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of Hungarian paprika (this is the best so don't get it from any other country)
Olive oil (not sure how much I really use but enough to cook with and also drizzle on afterward)
Cayenne pepper (I use a good amount, of this stuff so go easy initially if you don't like your food talking back at you)
1 small butternut squash
4-5 cups of water
1 heaping teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon chicken or vegetable flavor (since I have no time to make my own stock I choose to use one that has real ingredients instead of artificial substitutes).
3-4 bay leaves
Kosher salt flakes (I will explain later so don't go adding it randomly)
Garnish
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh mint leaves (I am growing my own plant)
Fresh lemon juice
Directions
**You can either peel and dice the butternut squash to add to the soup or you can make your life easier by cutting it in half and laying it face down in an oven-proof dish to cook at 350F for 30-40 mins (until it is soft when pierced with a knife).
1. Heat 4 cups of water in a kettle so its ready to go
2. Chop onion and carrots, mince garlic - set everything aside separately
3. Combine cumin, Hungarian paprika and cayenne pepper
4. In a large pot heat olive oil on medium heat and then add the onions. Sauté until translucent and golden brown, mix continuously so things don't burn.
5. Add the garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins, mixing continuously (you might need to add extra olive oil if things are looking dry)
6. Add carrots and spices. Sauté for 2-3 mins, mixing continuously.
7. Add water, lentils, tomato paste (I added more than 2 teaspoons, tasting everything along the way to see how the flavors melded)
8. Add Better than Bouillon and bay leaves.
9. Bring everything to a boil
10. Lower the heat to a simmer and loosely cover the pot. Simmer for 25-30 mins.
11. Cool the butternut squash until you can scoop out the insides with a spoon (avoid the skin) and add to the soup.
12. Cool the soup slightly (10 mins) to make pureeing is easier and then in batches (my blender was not large enough) puree the soup to a chunky consistency (remove bay leaves prior to this). I prefer the soup to be chunky as it makes me feel like I am eating real food instead of Gerber.
13. Mix everything together and taste it. At this point you can adjust the salt/spice content. Cayenne pepper tends to bring out the flavors so feel free to add more if you want more a kick. Add the cayenne pepper before adding more salt because the pepper enhances the salt flavor. Lemon is acidic and will also taste salty. You can also add more cumin at this point.
14. Serve the soup in a bowel and drizzle some olive oil. Add diced mint leaves and serve with a lemon slice on the side to squeeze into the soup. The lemon really brings everything together so don't skimp out.
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