Lively Up Yourself
First of all, thanks to everyone for the kind birthday wishes. We had a lovely weekend just staying in and ignoring our phone. We did go out to dinner on Friday night, and we finished the last of the Mocha Torte on Saturday, but other than that it was just mellowness and naps galore.
And at some point during the weekend, I got a random craving for curry and lentils. I suppose I could have solved it with some takeout daal, but where's the fun in that? Instead, I decided to concoct a soup, drawing on my general soup-making knowledge and combining a few recipes here and there.
Having just eaten a bowl of the results for lunch (the rest will be served with some sauteed black cod for dinner), I'm unduly pleased and thought I'd share the recipe....
...which really isn't a recipe at all. I don't often use soup recipes, actually. Maybe once in a while for something very specific, or to learn how to make a specifc style of soup the first time I attempt it, but I consider soup to be largely a freestyle effort. This was certainly the case with the following:
- 1 chopped onion
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 3 peeled, chopped carrots
- some chopped celery (probably equivalent to 3 stalks)
- a tablespoon of hot curry powder (plus a little bit more)
- a few shakes of red pepper flakes (to taste, I like things a bit spicy)
- a teaspoon of cumin
- a shake of dried ginger (I should have used chopped fresh, but didn't have it on hand)
- a bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 peeled, chopped red potatoes
- 2 cups green lentils (not french, just basic organic lentils)
- 6 cups chicken stock, plus a bit of water
- 1 6oz bag of baby spinach leaves
- 1 14oz can of Muir Glen fire roasted chopped tomatoes (these are AMAZING)
The process couldn't be simpler. Heat some olive oil, then saute the garlic, then the onions, carrots, and celery for about 10 minutes or so. Add the spices and stir. Add the lentils and stir to cover with the spices for about a minute. Then add the potatoes and the broth. The ratio should be about 1 cup lentils/3 cups broth, but you can play with it depending on your tastes for thick or thin soup. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover and let simmer for about 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, check for doneness (this was the perfect amount of time for my particular brand of lentils) and then add in the spinach, stirring to help it wilt. Dump in the entire can of tomatoes, cook for a few minutes longer, and voila!
I also made a little yogurt topping for the soup: a carton of plain yogurt, a few handfuls of chopped cilantro, a bit of salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
I'm surprised at how well everything holds its form in this soup, and the final additions of the bright green spinach and roasted red tomatoes make it a really lovely looking bowl, too. It's going to be difficult not to keep snitching bites as it sits on the stove to wait for dinner.