I love fall. I love the crisp cool edge that creeps into the mornings.
I love the changing colors of the leaves on my Japanese Maple.
I love the songs of autumn. If you need a little fall “fix,” here is a great rendition of Autumn Leaves by the late Eva Cassidy. If you don’t know about her, you are in for a treat.
And, in the cooking realm, I love that fall gives me permission to make soup again.
I posted my all-time favorite lentil soup recipe on this blog back in December. I hope you have found time to try that recipe. It is one of the wonders of the soup world. That soup is called Egyptian Lentil Soup and you can look it up in the index that appears on the right side of this page or by clicking here http://bluecayenne.com/?p=566.
The lentil soup I’m posting today is also excellent. It is a little more “tomatoey” and takes a slightly different spice turn with the addition of a small amount of curry powder and a small amount of dried thyme leaves. It is also just downright pretty with its bright oranges, greens and reds.
If you can’t work up the energy to make lentil soup today, don’t put your lentils away just yet. It is clear from a quick Internet search that lentils (and beans) are a popular crafting item. For example, someone had a good sense of humor and was definitely “feeling the Bern” with this piece:
The Bernie picture got me to thinking that orange lentils would be perfect for portraying The Donald’s hair. Go for it and be sure to send me a picture!
This recipe is adapted from one that appeared on the Cookie and Kate Food Blog. A link to the original recipe appears at the end of this post.
Ingredients: Lentil Soup with Spinach
1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
3 carrots (peeled and chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. curry powder
1/4 t. dried thyme leaves
Generous pinch of whole cumin seeds
1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 C. orange lentils
4 C. vegetable broth
2 C. water
1 t. salt (more to taste)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 C. chopped fresh spinach leaves
Juice of 1/4 to 1/2 lemon (to taste)
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large soup pan.
Sauté chopped onion and carrots in hot oil, stirring often, until onion is softened and translucent. This should take about five minutes. Add chopped garlic, cumin, curry powder, and thyme leaves to the onion/carrot mixture. Stir spices to mix then in thoroughly–about 30 seconds.
Add the diced tomatoes and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Stir.
Add lentils, broth and water. Add pepper flakes and salt. Season with freshly-ground black pepper. Bring soup to a boil then lower heat and let the soup cook at a gentle simmer for about 30 minutes.
Stir in chopped spinach and cook for a few more minutes until spinach is softened.
Remove from heat, add lemon juice and taste for seasoning.
Here is a link to the Cookie and Kate recipe from which this recipe was adapted:
