Friday, November 5, 2010

Red Lentil Soup

I saw these beautiful red lentils at Whole Foods a few weeks ago and just had to buy them.  And then, the dilemma of how best to prepare them.  So, I emailed my blogger friend, Nizrine, a beautiful lady living in Florida, with a background of growing up in Morocco.  Please visit Nizrine at "Dinners and Dreams" to learn more about her.


Nizrine's suggestion was her Red Lentil Soup which we prepared this evening.  It is cold here, 64 degrees high today.  I know, I know, I shouldn't even mention this.  But, let's just say this soup was very good, hit the spot this evening and will be made often.

Red Lentil Soup
from Nizine Merzouki

4 servings

3 sausages of your choice, removed from casing
1 medium red onion, grated (we elected to simply cut finely)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 cup tomato puree
5 cups vegetable broth
1 jalapeno (since we are Norwegian and German, we opted for 1/2 jalapeno ;)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium soup pot, saute the sausage, red onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the lentils, tomato puree, vegetable broth and jalapeno.  Season the soup with cumin, salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.

14 comments:

  1. Oh goodness now I'm starving! That looks fantastic, I can't wait to try out the recipe :)

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  2. Might I add that the choice of sausage will have alot to do with the final taste of the soup. We used mild Italian which I love and it definitely added a Tuscan flavor that was very good. Plus a lovely bottle of Chianti to really make it Italian!! Bratwurst maybe a bit german flavor, etc., etc.!! The choice is yours to enjoy!! Schnitzel did it again!!

    TROUT

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  3. Your post made me smile. I just recently bought red lentils for a recipe and I've never used them before.

    Since we're Danish and German we'd probably us 1/2 jalapeno also, although we're starting to develop a tolerance ;) And, since we are in Wisconsin, I don't even want to hear about 64 degrees being cold.

    This looks delicious! Did you notice any difference in the red lentils compared to the usual green lentils?

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  4. Susan, having lived in Wisconsin for 20 years, I know what the weather is like up there!! All I can say is if I had used regular lentils, it certainly would have looked different and I think taste different also. But, on the other hand, I could not discern a distinct difference.

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  5. I made lentil soup this week also! It's been in the 40's most of the week in New England. Your soup looks very good, I like the idea of the hot pepper! I use 28 oz. chicken broth, 28 oz. diced tomatoes, 2 chopped celery stocks, sm. chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots, along with a 1/4 cup of quinoa, millet, flax seed and balsamic vinegar - toss it all in the crock pot and let it cook all day - it is so delicious!!!! Sometimes I blend a pitcher full for a smoother soup.

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  6. We love all sorts of lentils, but since my son is vegetarian, no sausage, or only on the side, or soy based (which I find no sausage!). But with just sauteed onion, celery, carrots and herbs as the spirit moves me, it is so delicious! And so healthy!

    Besides the delicious taste I find lentil soup fills me with a feeling of virtue that is also very nourishing if a little silly.

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  7. I love lentil soup but this recipe is new to me so I will give it a try. Thanks Diane

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  8. We must be on the same wave length Susan. I bought red lentils yesterday at Fresh Market. They were so pretty I couldn't resist, but I didn't know what to do with them. Thanks for the inspiration.
    Sam

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  9. I've never made lentil soup. Your posting this has piqued my curiosity. I would be for the WHOLE jalapeno, though. LOL!

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  10. I' m glad you liked it ans so flattered you made my recipe. It's been chilly here too yesterday and today.

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  11. next day comment - it snowed here last night....Definitely soup time!

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  12. I'm freezing! I could use a big bowl of that right now! Just finished up the last of the Spanish Bean soup I made the other day. We really need to meet up some time soon. Maybe for lunch one Saturday.

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  13. I have red lentils from a Turkish grocery store that I went to with a Turkish friend. I just packed them in my food box to take to Florida, so your recipe is very timely. Hope we don't have a repeat of last years cold weather in Florida!

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  14. Always on the look out for new soup recipes, and this one sounds just right for us .. hubby would love the sausage in there too and definitely a whole jalapeno for us .

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