Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

I made this soup a while back and uploaded the photos, intending to come back later and add witty commentary.  Except that I no longer remember what was going on the day I made the soup.  Not sure why I even tried this particular recipe, having posted a rather nice and easy version a while back.

About the only thing I can remember is that I used chicken broth as the base. But you can easily make a parve/veggie/vegan version by using veggie broth instead.

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
Adapted from orangette
Serves 3-4

1 Tbl. olive oil
1 large yellow onions, chopped
2 tsp. chopped garlic (bottled ok)
1 Tbl. tomato paste
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 qt. chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked over for stones
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place a 3-4 quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  When hot, add oil, watch 10 seconds for the oil to heat, then add onions.  Stirring constantly, cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook for another minutes.

Add broth, water, lentils and carrot.  Bring to a simmer, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

Taste.  Add more salt if necessary.

Using an immersion blender, puree half the soup if you like it somewhat chunky, otherwise puree until completely smooth.

I prefer the soup somewhat chunky, as you can somewhat see. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro; try to make a pretty design with the bubbles.














Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot.














Darn ... nothing spilled.