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Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup with Variations
Serves 6+
Put 2-4 Tablespoons of oil into a soup pot and put on medium heat.
Chop:
2 Medium onions
2 Carrots
1 Clove of garlic, finely minced
2 Cups red lentils *other lentils will not break down the same way
Pinch of ground cumin
Add chopped vegetables (omit garlic) to the pot with the oil. Stir to coat the veggies and cook for about 5 minutes - until the onion starts to soften. Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
While the veggies sauté, prepare the red lentils.
Put lentils in a bowl or preferably, a fine colander. Rinse the red lentils well with cold water. If they stick together, use your hands to break them up and continue rinsing. If you rinse them in a bowl, change the water a few times.
Drain and add the red lentils to the pot and cover with filtered water by about 1 ½ inches.
Add approximately one teaspoon of salt. You will taste the soup for salt once it's cooked.
Cook covered until the veggies are soft. The lentils will fall apart and change color. Puree soup and add salt to taste and fresh pepper to taste.
Mediterranean inspired: serve the soup with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. You can also add lemon zest to the soup at the same time as the garlic for more lemon flavor.
Indian inspired: serve the soup with a sprinkle of chaat masala.
Other ideas: you can add fresh, organic baby spinach, finely sliced to a soup bowl and cover with hot soup. Let sit for several minutes to wilt the spinach. This soup can also be served over rice.
You can scale this recipe up or down easily. This soup may solidify in the fridge. Warm it gently to thin, or add broth and heat to thin.
Fire Roasted Tomato Soup
Serves 4
To a medium soup pot add the following:
28 ounce can organic fire roasted tomatoes. (You can use regular tomatoes, but the soup will have less flavor. In order of preference: crushed tomatoes, whole, diced. If you use whole, break them up or puree before cooking.)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped roughly
¼ tsp Italian seasoning (or a tiny pinch of each of oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram and rosemary)
¼ cup sweet vermouth
½ cup water
¼ tsp salt (You will add more to taste at the end.)
Cover the pot and simmer until the onion and garlic are soft. Puree and taste, adjust salt to taste.
Herb-forward: you can add additional Italian seasoning mix, or additional amounts of any individual herb. For example, for a rosemary-forward soup, add one small sprig of rosemary while cooking (do not remove the herb from the stem. Remove after cooking.). The same can be done with oregano and basil.
Pesto: Traditional pesto, made with basil, can be served with the soup. Out of basil season, dandelion pesto or arugula pesto make a great substitution (follow your normal recipe, but sub clean, washed dandelion leaves or fresh arugula for the basil).
Tomato Cream: add a generous drizzle of heavy cream to transform the soup into a tomato-cream soup. Do not boil after adding the cream.
Pesto with variations
2 cups fresh basil, arugula, or dandelion greens (washed well)
2 T pine nuts or walnuts (I prefer walnuts)
2 cloves of garlic (or more to personal taste)
½ C extra virgin olive oil
½ C grated parmesan cheese (best if it's not from a can, but will do in a pinch)
*can omit cheese for dairy free/vegan. If so, add ¼ tsp – ½ tsp salt to taste
Use a food processor, add the garlic, nuts of choice and greens and begin to pulse to break them down. Once they are finely chopped, begin to add the olive oil through the tube while running the food processor. Once the mixture is smooth, add the parmesan and pulse to combine. Pesto can be made ahead, omitting the parmesan, and frozen for future use. Once the pesto is in your freezer container, put a thin layer of olive oil over the top to seal (most important with basil). Freeze until ready to use.
Recipes by Chance Claar-Pressley
