Bowl Food…
I could not even hazard a guess at how many times I have made this soup!! The lentils & chillies give the soup an extra dimension which is often lacking in traditional tomato soup. It has a lovely rustic texture & served with a warm chunk of ciabatta makes a substantial meal in itself… JJ
Ingredients & Costing…
|  | |
Red Split Lentils x 125gm
|
0.22
| |
Spanish Onion x 1 diced
|
0.33
| |
Fat Clove of Garlic Crushed x 1
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0.05
| |
Celery x 2 sticks
|
0.20
| |
Tin of Plum Tomatoes x 1
|
0.37
| |
Tomato Puree x 1 heaped tblsp
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0.10
| |
Stock x 850ml (beef or vegetable)
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0.15
| |
Crushed Chilli Flakes x ½ tsp
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0.05
| |
Maldon Sea Salt
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0.05
| |
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
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0.05
| |
Dried Parsley or Basil x 1 tsp (optional)
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0.05
| |
Olive Oil to fry
|
0.10
| |
4-6 Generous Portions
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€1.72
| |
It Couldn’t be easier…
æ Heat the olive oil in a large heavy based saucepan
æ Dice the onion & sauté over a low heat until translucent
æ Slice the celery sticks & add to the saucepan together with crushed garlic & chillies, cover with a lid and “sweat” over a low heat for a further 5 minutes
æ Rinse the lentils in a sieve under cold running water & add to the saucepan stirring well to ensure the lentils are coated with the fragrant olive oil, onion & garlic
æ Dissolve the stock cube in boiling water & add to the lentils along with the dried herbs, tinned tomatoes & tomato puree
æ Bring to the boil & simmer gently, partially covered until the lentils are cooked, this will take approximately 25-30 minutes
æ Finally add seasoning to taste – don’t be shy it will need plenty of seasoning
æ For a nice rustic texture liquidise half the soup or if you prefer it is equally good liquidised to a smooth texture
Finger on the Pulse…
Lentils are an extremely inexpensive source of protein containing the 3rd highest level of protein by weight of any pulse (legume) or nut after soyabeans & hemp. Sprouted lentils are even healthier, a small portion containing sufficient levels of all essential amino acids to supply your RDA… JJ
I have just made a 'baby food' version of this soup for my 15month old boy. I omitted the chilli flakes, added less stock but added more veg! The end result is soooo delish! I mashed the end result and placed in boxes ready for the freezer. Makes approx 5 portions... and a little bit left over for quailty control purposes... yum and double yum!!
ReplyDeletelucky boy... he has a mum with a good taste & a good imagination :-))
DeleteJust made it too, so tasty, that's lunch sorted for a few days :)Thanks for sharing recipe!Sinead
ReplyDeleteThink it is my all time favourite & if you asked me I would say I don't even like tomato soup...!! Guess the lentils win over in this one :-))
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