It’s cold. I can’t get the chill out of my bones. I sometimes wish I could hibernate in the winter. Every year, about this time, I try to convince my husband to move somewhere warm. It never works. Oh well. I generally get over it by April.
In the meantime, soup is the only thing getting me through. This lentil soup is not only hot but also very warmly spiced. I started teaching cooking classes recently and was asked by a client to come up with a few vegetarian recipes. I realized I make a lot of them at home but don’t often post them here. I will make an effort to do so more for all of you.
I made this soup at Bon Appetit for family meal one day and it went over pretty well. As a matter of fact, many of the healthier dishes I made often went quickly. I think our bodies crave them more than we realize. I know mine does.
- 1 tbl olive oil, plus more, if needed
- 1 small leek, white part only, chopped
- 1 large carrot, diced small
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp madras curry powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 bag lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 2 cups unsalted vegetable stock
- salt, to taste ( I added about 1½ tsp)
- Place 5 qt dutch oven or large pot over medium low heat and cover with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot
- Once heated, add leek, carrot and garlic and sauté, stirring regularly, making sure not to brown the vegetables, for about 3-5 minutes
- Add curry and cumin and toss to coat. Saute for an additional 1-2 minutes, until spices begin to toast and become aromatic.
- Add lentils, vegetable stock, 2 cups of water and salt
- Raise heat to high and bring to a boil before covering and lowering to simmer for about ½ hour until lentils are cooked but not too soft. Add water, as needed.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
