This recipe appeared in the food section of The New York Times. I read it early in the morning, before going to the gym, and I could tell immediately that it was a winner. With visions of running out to buy red lentils filling my brain, I headed to the treadmill and discovered that several other women in the building were talking about – you guessed it – Red Lentil Soup and how they planned to make it for dinner that night. Not only is it tasty, but red lentils cook so quickly that you can have a great bowl of comfort food in no time. I keep quart containers of chicken stock in my freezer. You can make your own or buy at your local butcher. With stock on hand, a homemade soup can be less than an hour away.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of ½ lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
- In a 4-quart pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne. Sauté for 2 minutes longer.
- Add stock, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
- Using an immersion blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Take caution with hot liquids. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
- Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup hot, drizzled with good olive oil, and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.
Yield: 4 – 6
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