Posted by kathryn in Legumes, Recipes, Soups, Winter and Vegan

Since starting my blog I’ve only posted two recipes. It’s not like I haven’t been cooking, I just don’t feel I’ve been cooking anything particularly interesting.

Then I was thinking, maybe that’s missing the point. There are plenty of places where you can get recipes for fancy and unusual food, stuff that takes time, lots of ingredients and skill to cook – the food we might make if someone was coming round for dinner.

However it’s the normal, every day food prep and cooking that most people struggle with, ie how to make a simple, cheap, easy meal, that also tastes fab and doesn’t take an evening to prepare.

So I’m going to post more frequently on what I’m cooking. The normal meals that Richard and I eat, the stuff we make when we’re tired or late home from work and have “nothing in the house”.

This lentil soup is one of my favourite recipes to make at this time of year. It’s a meal in a bowl, it’s warming and hearty and damn good for you. While I was training to be a naturopath I used to work in an organic food shop, where the chef Stratos and I used to make soups, salads and other take-away meals. Stratos was (of course) from a Greek family and this is based on his recipe.

This does take about 45 minutes to make, but for much of that time it can be left to happily cook away by itself, so it’s not intensive cooking. Also, usually when I make lentil soup I double the quantities below and put the leftovers in the freezer.

Lentil soup

Serves 4

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup brown lentils, washed and drained
• 1/2 cup split red lentils, washed and drained
• 1 tin crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons shoyu (or soy sauce)
• 1 – 2 tablespoon lemon juice or red wine vinegar
• Handful chopped dill
• Natural yoghurt to serve (optional)

Chop the carrots and celery into small pieces (about 1cm in diameter, but don’t get too obsessive). Pour a couple of glugs of olive oil into a large pan and put over a medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic, plus a small pinch of salt and stir to combine. Turn the heat down low and put the lid on the pan. Leave to sweat, stirring occasionally for 5 – 7 minutes.

Lift the lid (and inhale the wonderful steam), add the bay leaves and lentils, stir again and then replace the lid. Just leave this for a couple of minutes to continue sweating.

Add the crushed tomatoes and about 1.2 litres of water, bring to the boil and then turn down to a gentle simmer. Leave this to cook away for about 25 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked.

At this stage I usually split the soup in two, blend half of it and then re-mix together because I like the consistency that gives: a bit blended, but also a bit chunky. Of course you can also blend the whole lot together, or leave it unblended – your choice.

Add the shoyu, lemon juice (or vinegar) and dill, stir to combine. Have a little taste to check the seasoning and also whether you want to add more lemon juice. Then srve hot with crusty bread and a dollop of natural yoghurt.

07 July, 2006