A student confessed she only signed up for my cooking class series after tasting this soup at the intro lecture

This recipe is as close as I can get you to my vision of comfort food: a bright spit pea soup with a sweet, gingery note.

There are just four common ingredients with only water for stock. It’s hard to believe you can get this much bang for so few ingredients and small expense. The cost to make this big batch is what you would pay for just a cup at a restaurant.

Red lentils are a cook’s dream, a bean that needs no soaking. It has a meaty, peppery flavor and dissolves into a creamy base with only a short cook time.

INGREDIENTS: You can exchange green lentils for the red, but you will need to cook longer and add a tsp of sugar

• oil- 1 TBS, neutral
• onion- 2 cups, (1 large), small dice, [7 oz/198 gr]
• sweet potatoes- 2 cups, (1 medium), peeled, 1/4” cube [12 oz/340 gr]
• red lentils- 2 cups, [12 oz/340 gr]
• ginger root- 1-1/2 TBS, peeled, grated, [not minced or chopped]
• water- 7 cups
• salt- 2 tsp
• pepper- to taste

GARNISH:

• parsley- 1/3 cup, minced, then measured
• Marsala wine (opt.)- 2 TBS, adds a subtle, smoky tone

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. In a soup pot add the oil and sauté onions about 5 minutes, until wilted
2. Stir in the sweet potato, lentils, ginger, water, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for about 25 minutes until lentils are tender. Puree some of the soup if you want a creamier consistency.
3. Adjust seasonings, you want to taste a good lick of ginger, add more if needed.

PRESSURE COOKER ALTERNATIVE: Bring contents to full pressure and cook for 4 minutes for red lentils and 8 minutes if using green lentils. Quick release the pressure

ALTERNATE RECIPE: Jamaican Lentil Soup. Wow! Same soup, different country. Dee-licious!

Green Lentil Version: Garnished with Rice, Prosciutto, Cilantro, Marsala Wine, and Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce

PLANNED-OVER IDEAS:

Home-meals are not leftovers so much as they become planned-overs. “Lentil Stewp” will put another bloom on the flower.

Reheat and create a stew with some of the following:

• cooked macaroni
• rice
• bits of cooked protein—chicken, tofu, or salmon
• a good drizzle of balsamic vinegar
• baby spinach or tender winter greens, [first add to soup pot and simmer a few minutes until tender, before adding in any additional cooked components

Adapted by B. Hettig, original by Jeff Woodward

Red Lentil – Carrot Feta Soup

I love to discover lentil soup recipes as I love the peppery body of these soups. I found a great candidate on the New York Times cooking site. It had over 26,000 reader reviews! I tried it, and dang, it missed in so many ways. I decided to amend it by tweaking the measurements and instructions.

I came up with a real keeper!

• oil- 1 TBS, neutral
• onion- 2 cups, (1 large), small dice, [7 oz/198 gr]
• garlic- 3 cloves, minced
• cumin, ground – 1 tsp
• tomato paste- 1 TBS
• carrots- 2 cups, (2 medium), small dice
• smoked paprika- 1 tsp
• red lentils- 2 cups, [12 oz/340 gr]
• ginger root- 1-1/2 TBS, peeled and grated
• water- 7 cups, [or stock]
• salt- 2 tsp
• pepper- to taste

FINISH:

• cilantro- 1/3 cup, minced, then measured
• lemon juice- 2 TBS
• feta cheese- serve at table

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a pot sauté the onions and garlic for a few minutes
2. Add in the tomato paste, cumin, and stir for 30 seconds
3. Add in the lentils, carrots, ginger, smoked paprika, water, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer and partially cover
4. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until carrot is tender
5. Adjust seasonings and serve hot topped with cilantro, lemon juice, and feta