Lemony Lentil Soup

Lentil soup is what's for lunch today. I make this soup often. It's rustic and easy to prepare. The nutritional profile is wonderful. Best of all, the lentils remain whole and keep their firm texture. This is a brothy lentil soup. A smoked-paprika scented stock is infused with the earthy flavor of the lentils. The soup is finished with lemon and dill. Fresh dill is one of my favorite herbs. The bright and citrusy flavor of dill counters the richness of the lentils. Spinach is stirred in at the end of cooking to remain vibrant and green. Lots of freshly cracked black pepper is welcome here too.  

I typically make this soup in the morning. It reheats well. After a long walk on the beach, I warm some pita in the toaster oven and heat the soup for lunch or a light dinner. I always keep pita bread in my freezer because I'm half Lebanese. Round out this meal with olives, marinated artichokes and/or some roasted red peppers to stuff into the pita. Alternately, you can serve the soup with steamed rice for a complete protein.

Lemony Lentil Soup 

Makes A Pot Full 

Some Notes

The spices are kept subtle in this soup. Feel free to add more cinnamon and cumin if you're in the mood for something assertive. Think of this soup as a base recipe and use your favorite spices. Instead of smoked paprika, garam masala or curry powder will work here too.

Make sure you rinse the leeks well. If you don't have leeks, swap them for a large onion or a few shallots.

Secret Ingredient Alert: Rapunzel No Salt Vegan Vegetable Bouillon is my go-to veggie bouillon when I don't have the time or energy to make my own stock. It's the best! I love it for its clean taste and homemade flavor. I find it at Whole Foods or often buy it in bulk online at Amazon. It's a lifesaver for quick soups like this one. But you can swap it and the water for 10 cups of your favorite broth or stock.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of green lentils (I use Whole Foods 365 Organic Brand)
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed, pressed or chopped  
• A handful or two of baby spinach (optional) 
• A handful of fresh dill, chopped 
• 1-2 lemons
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of smoked paprika 
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 5 vegetable bouillon cubes. I use Rapunzel No Salt Vegan Vegetable Bouillon. (see notes) 
• Salt and pepper to taste. I use sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

Serving Suggestions
pita bread
steamed rice
naan
paratha
chapati
roti
baguette
a dollop of yogurt or creme fraiche
Some toasted slivered almonds

Instructions

In a large soup pot add the green lentils, carrots, celery, leeks, garlic, smoked paprika, cinnamon, cumin and bouillon cubes. Stir in ten cups of water. Salt to taste. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft. Take the soup off the heat. Stir in the baby spinach (if using), a good squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice, the chopped dill and some cracked black pepper. Stir the spinach around until it wilts from the heat of the soup. Serve with any of the above suggestions.

Bon Appetite & Blessings!
xx ~ Jilly
 

Roasted pepper soup -- Soupe Catalane aux poivrons

Sitting in the dentist's office--the dentists who inspired Jane Smiley's novella Age of Grief, about a husband-wife dentist practice--I found a recipe that I dictated into my phone while sitting in the waiting room. And it is really 1 minute.

Roasted pepper soup shots
one 16 ounce jar fire roasted red peppers with your juices.
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar.
1 fourth cup olive oil.
Salt and pepper.
Blend and serve in shot glasses.
Bon Appetite October 2012 page 104

I wondered if there is anything like this in Julia or de Pomaine. Turned out
there is: MAFC II p. 21, Soup Catalane aux poivrons, which I adapted and served last week to Rich and Julie.

Serves four as a first course

1 large garlic clove
one16 ounce jar fire roasted red peppers with their juices
1/4 cup cocktail onions
2 tablespoons sherry
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cooked rice, preferably brown basmati
Salt and pepper

1. Peel the garlic and chop it in a food processor. 
2. Add everything but the rice and blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a small sauce pan, add the rice, and heat.

Melon and champagne soup

The bubbly is Segura Viedas Brut Reserva 2011 cava

We had a champagne brunch for Easter, just the three of us. Salmon tartare, Maddie's quiche. And to start this melon soup. It's lightning fast. I bought some melon cubes (Chilean) at the store, popped them in the blender with the juices and bubbly, and -- ZAP! -- summrery froth.

I found some little airplane bottles of bubbly, so it's possible to make an ordinary day special by making this speedy soup. This is a another dentist waiting room special, adapted from Shape magazine. But it's really elegant, and it sort of tickles the nose. Or maybe that's my imagination.

Serves 4

2 cups cantaloupe chunks
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon juice
1/4 cup champagne
fresh mint

1. In a blender, puree all the ingredients except the mint until frothy. 
2. Garnish with chopped mint