Last time, we made savory crepes. Since then the weather has gotten colder, the air crisper, and the nights longer; that means only one thing: Soup time!
First up is an Egyptian recipe from my favorite cookbook Extending the Table by Joretta Handrich Schlabach. This book is one of the few recipe books where I nearly always follow the recipe to a T. So, yes, I recommend this book as a 10/10.
SPICY LENTIL POT/SHORBET ADDIS
Ingredients:
- 2 carrots
- 1 green pepper
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tomatoes, chopped or 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 5-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
- 1½ cups orange lentils (375ml/192 grams)
- 5-6 cups of water (1.3-1.5L)
- 1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
- 2 tsp ground cumin (10 grams)
- 1.5 tsp salt (7 grams)
- ¼-1½ tsp ground red pepper or chili flakes (1 – 7 grams)*
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lemons cut into wedges (optional)
Method:
*Preparation: around 10 minutes *Cook time: around 50-60 minutes.
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Chop the vegetables into large chunks and add to a large saucepan.
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Add garlic cloves, lentils, water and chicken bouillon cube.
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Cover and bring to a boil.
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Allow the mixture to boil for 20-30 minutes without stirring.
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Allow to cool slightly, then strain or puree in batches.**
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Return to the pot and add the cumin, salt and ground red pepper.
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Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to blend the flavours.
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In separate pan, fry ½ cup chopped onion in 1 tbsp olive oil until toasty brown.
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Float the onions on top of the soup.
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Serve with lemon wedges to bring out more of the flavors (optional).
*For a spicier taste use ground red pepper.
** If using a blender, be sure to blend thoroughly here. If you don’t have a blender, use a strainer to mash the soup through gradually. Straining the soup helps to thicken it and gives it a pureed/blended consistency.
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