Serves 6-8 / prep time: 15 minutes / cook time: 40 minutes
This is one of my go-to cool-weather soups. It makes a large quantity, which can be eaten over a few days or frozen into handy meal-sized portions. The flavoured butter is optional, but it adds an extra ‘mmm’ factor to the soup. If you are pressed for time, a simple drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a scattering of chopped parsley would suffice.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (300g) split red lentils
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 leek or large onion (about 250g), roughly chopped
- 2 carrots (about 250g), roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks (about 200g), roughly chopped
- large wedge of pumpkin (about 400g), peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
- 6 cups (1.5 litres) vegetable stock or water
- about 1 teaspoon salt
- lemon wedges to serve
Herb Butter
- 50g butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- small handful of coriander and/or parsley, finely chopped
- zest of ½ lemon
- pinch of salt
Method
I like to pre-soak the split lentils for 2-3 hours in a bowl of water, which helps improve their digestion. You can skip this step if time is short. Either way, rinse the lentils thoroughly in a sieve until the water runs clear.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Add the leek or onion, carrot and celery and sauté for 8 minutes until softened. Add the pumpkin and spices and mingle with the other vegetables for 2 more minutes. Add the lentils and stock or water and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until the lentils and vegetables are soft.
Remove the soup from the heat and purée with a stick blender (or leave it chunky if preferred). Add salt to taste and reheat, adjusting the consistency with extra hot water if needed
– aim for a not-too-runny, cling-to-the-spoon consistency.
To make the Herb Butter, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mash together with a fork.
Serve the hot soup with a teaspoon of Herb Butter added to each bowl. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and enjoy. Extra soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months.
Extracted with permission from The Homemade Table by Nicola Galloway. RRP $59.99. homegrown-kitchen.co.nz. Published by Potton & Burton.
