Red Lentil Soup

I know, it's not red.

I was expecting a crazy vibrant red soup, but really, red lentils aren't that red. And they're in there to create body among the large quantity of onions. But seriously I don't care what color the soup turned out to be, I made my own chicken stock from scratch and this lentil soup was the lucky receiver. And lucky me all around I'm telling you.

I totally understand the difference between homemade stock that I let simmer for four hours, oh yes, four hours, and the stuff from the store in a can or carton. I didn't realize soup could taste so damn fine with so little ingredients. I suppose I've always known that simple flavor profiles almost always prove to be the best, but I guess I never truly knew that first hand. At least not with homemade chicken stock. Now I know better.

This recipe is adapted from a book I just finished reading. I'm in a foodie book club and this book was chosen by one of our fellow foodies and I loved it. The book is Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran. It's about three Iranian sisters who move to Ireland and open a cafe. The recipes in the book were very inspiring to me and as soon as I finished the book I decided the red lentil soup was the first dish to make. I scaled the recipe in half because the quantities were rather large for me, and I ended up adding two other varieties of lentils and a few crumbles of feta cheese for garnish. I am in love with this soup. I love how it fills you up, but doesn't weigh you down. The flavors are complex with few ingredients and with some good crusty bread you will be a very happy individual...if you aren't already.

Red Lentil Soup

recipe adapted from Pomegranate Soup

1 cup dried red lentils

3 1/2 white onions, chopped

3 1/2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground cumin

3 1/2 cups chicken stock (or broth) But I highly recommend really good stock.

1 1/2 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

crumbled feta cheese for garnish

Place the lentils in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook them uncovered for 9 minutes. Drain them and set aside. It a large pot, saute 3 of the onions, garlic, turmeric and cumin in 1-2 tbsp of olive oil until golden. Add the lentils, stock or broth, and water to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste and allow the soup to come to a boil. Reduce to a low heat, cover, and let simmer for 40 minutes. *At this point I decided to add a handful each of green lentils and Puy lentils. For additional color and texture. I added a tad more water at the end. Fry the remaining half of the onion in olive oil until crisp but not blackened. Add as a garnish over the soup. Add crumbled feta if desired.