[On our table, December 2015.]
In a break from my usual sweets recipes — yet in a return to the old days when I used to post lots of vegetarian and vegan recipes (after all, this is how I cook on the daily) — today I have something a bit different: a recipe for a soothing turmeric and cumin-spiced red lentil soup. On a day when the temperature is hovering in the low 50s and I’m wearing wool socks and starting to feel all the holiday coziness this season has to offer, sipping on a steaming cup of hot soup is just the thing.
This soup could hardly be simpler to make — onions and garlic are sauteed briefly in olive oil, then spices are added with the lentils and simmered in water until smooth. A touch of lemon juice brightens up the pot, and on these chilly (and downright cold) days of late fall a bowl of this soup is warming and nourishing.
We’re hanging sparkly lights and planning our cookie plates and starting to wrap presents. I’m also putting the finishing touches on a holiday-themed e-cookbook — think LOTS of dessert recipes — that I hope to share with you next week. ‘Til then, stay cozy.
Serve soup with whole grain biscuits, as I did a few weeks ago, or with sweet potato hummus spread on good seedy crackers.
Makes 10 servings.
1 tablesooon oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups of red lentils
8 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and to taste
Handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
Juice of half a lemon
In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the chopped garlic, turmeric, cumin and salt and continue cooking for a few minutes more.
Stir in the lentils, add the water, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 35 minutes. Stir several times during cooking to prevent lentils from sticking to base of pan.
Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and cook a few minutes more.