Spiced Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

I make soup…a lot. Weekly at the very least in winter, and usually on Saturday. To me, the process of making soup is really therapeutic, and I love to have a batch on hand for weekend lunches or suppers, and if I have followed my own advise, I have made a double batch and there is always some in the freezer for later in the week.

Red lentils are great to use, not only are they nutritious, they don’t require any overnight soaking as do some other pulses, and are very quick to cook. Just make sure you give them a good wash before you use them. Make sure to use the food processor to slice the onions and carrots to save time.

Ingredients

• 650g carrots ( about 5), sliced
• 150g red lentils, washed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 large clove garlic, sliced
• 1 long red chilli, seeded, chopped
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• 125ml cream or sour cream
• 1 lit vegetable or chicken stock
• sea salt and cracked black pepper

Method

1. In large saucepan, heat a good glug of olive oil, over medium heat, and saute the onions with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add the cumin, garlic and chilli and saute for another couple of minutes.
2. Add the washed red lentils and carrots and mix well.
3. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for about 20 minutes. The lentils should be soft and swollen.
4. Remove from the heat, add the cream or sour cream, then puree the soup using a stick blender or jug blender. If the soup is too thick, just add some more stock to thin it down.
5. To serve. Reheat the soup, check the seasoning and serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or sour cream, a sprinkle of coriander leaves, chilli flakes and some grated fresh carrot.

To serve

6. fresh coriander leaves
7. Grated fresh carrot
8. sour cream or Greek yoghurt
9. dried chilli flakes

Notes

This recipe can easily be doubled, so make a big batch and freeze in a plastic container for a later date