Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yields: 4 people
Ingredients:
Soup
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Pinch of smoked paprika (de la vera is the best)
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- 1 cup red lentils, picked through for stones and debris
- 1 large carrots, peeled and diced
- Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup snow pea shoots if desired
- Good olive oil for drizzling over soup at the end
Dressing
- 1/4 cup Tahini
- 2/3 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Pour some olive oil into a large pot on medium high heat. When the oil is hot and simmering, add the garlic and onions.
- Cook until golden and translucent, but not colored – about three to four minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and cook for another two minutes.
- Add the broth, an additional cup of water, the lentils, and the carrots. Bring to a boil, and then partially cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Once the soup is simmering, combine the ingredients for the dressing and whisk until incorporated. Set aside.
- After about thirty minutes, the lentils should be soft and creamy, the carrots tender. Taste, add a little salt if necessary, and then, once cooled slightly, carefully pour into a blender. Do this in batches, and cover the lid of the blender with a tea towel before turning it on. Don’t worry about getting the soup completely smooth – a few chunky bits will give it a rustic character. Return to the pot, reheat if necessary, stir through the cilantro, keeping some for garnish and add the lemon juice.
- To serve, pour into bowls, sprinkle some snow pea shoots and cilantro, a drizzle of good olive oil and a drizzle of the tahini lemon dressing.
Credit: Courtesy of Liesl van Eeden