Lemony Red Lentil Soup with Cilantro

This is one of those “recipes” that really isn’t. Kitchen Express doesn’t give you a list of ingredients–it gives you a paragraph description of what to do–a happening. I don’t always have red lentils, so I’ve made this with De Puy lentils; it simply takes a little longer to cook. This is the “light, bright” lentil soup that I make in warm or hot weather.

The soup below started as the Red Lentil Soup (pages 283-284) in Always Hungry?  However, true to form for me, it evolved–still keeping the spirit of the meal plan. So here’s my version of a seemed to be rather a bland lentil soup when previewed on the page. It evolved on a dreary, rainy, chilly day in May that felt more like regression to March. It’s only mildly spicy and garlicky–you could increase the chipotle powder or add a dash of cayenne.

Serves 4 with big bowls, or 6 with small bowls. Add some meat (lamb would be good) and it’s a meal in a bowl.

Smoky, Spicy Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (for cooking)
• Chopped onion–about 1 to 1-1/2 cups
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• one 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes [fire-roasted are really good in this.]
• 32 ounces chicken stock
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 or 3 large cloves of garlic minced or pressed (or more according to taste)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons of herbs de Provence
• 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (hot)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• one 8-ounce package of frozen chopped kale
• extra virgin olive oil for drizzling as a tasty garnish

Preparation

• Heat the cooking olive oil in a good-sized pan and sauté the onions until beginning to brown.
• Add the carrots and celery and sauté until starting to brown.
• Add the pimentón, chipotle chilli powder, red pepper flakes, and garlic; sauté until fragrant.
• Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and 2 cups water.
• Add the herbes de Provence
• Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are almost tender. [I moved it to the oven to finish cooking so I could work without worrying about checking it.]
• Stir in the chopped kale and continue cooking until the lentils are tender.
• Serve it up and drizzle with a bit of aromatic extra-virgin olive oil.