Brrrr! It's a bit chilly in Melbourne at the moment!!! So what better to do than make soup? I have had soup every day this week, whether it be for lunch, dinner or both!
This lentil soup is one that I hadn't made before. I saw it in Feast magazine awhile ago and dog-earred the page. It is a beautiful soup. Before you go thinking 'oh yeah just another lentil soup' this one is different - it has a mound of caramelised onions on the top which impart a beautiful sweetness to the dish. It was so simple to make and definitely something warming to eat at this time of year.
Adapted from Egyptian Lentil Soup - Andy Harris (Feast Magazine June 2012 - excerpt from Around the World in 80 Dishes)
Egyptian Lentil Soup
Serves 4
Soup
2 tsp olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, diced
3 bay leaves
1 large tomato, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
500mL vegetable stock
200g (1 cup) dried red lentils
Caramelised Onions
4 onions, cut into small wedges
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
Heat oil in a large pan and add the carrots, celery, garlic, onion and bay leaf. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes or until the onions are golden.
Add the remaining ingredients plus an extra 2 cups of water and simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the caramelised onions, place the onions in a medium sized pan and heat on a medium heat, stirring when the onions start to catch, until the onions are golden brown (about 20 minutes.) Add in the balsamic and sugar and cook for another 5 minutes until the onions are glistening. Set aside.
Once the soup has cooked, either leave as is, or blend to reach your desired consistency.
Serve the soup in bowls topped with a mound of caramelised onions
Sarah xx
