Red Lentil and Carrot Soup

If you haven't visited Chef Jules' cyber kitchen before, I highly recommend that you do. Honestly, the man should write a cookbook. In the meantime, his readers are highly appreciative of the recipes he provides free of charge. The majority of his creations are vegetarian, which of course appeals to me, and he experiments with a wide variety of foods and recipes of varying complexity. For those with a sweet tooth, he also offers some truly elegant and tempting desserts. His pictures are gorgeous and even after a meal, I always feel hungry again if I visit his blog. I've been a regular reader for a few months now and my list of recipes to try is growing longer each week. Unbelievably, I've only tried his delicious Baked Blueberry French Toast, until tonight that is.

I was in the mood for a simple, but tasty soup and Chef Jules' Red Lentil and Carrot Soup turned out to be the perfect accompaniment to Grape Tomato and Goat Cheese Clafouti. As the cold weather nears, I highly recommend you keep this recipe on hand. I've made a few variations, but the essential base of the recipe remains the same.

Red Lentil and Carrot Soup

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon of turmeric
1 heaping teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
2 medium ripe tomatoes
1 large carrot, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup of red lentil, rinsed well
juice from one small lemon
3 cups of water or vegetable stock
14 ounce can of coconut milk
2 - 3 hot chillies, finely chopped
a few tablespoons of finely chopped parsley for garnishing

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onions, and stir and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for another minute or so. Next add the tomatoes and cook for another few minutes.

Stir in the carrots, lentils, lemon juice and stock or water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to moderately low and cover and simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Stir in the coconut milk and chillies and simmer for another 15 - 20 minutes. Puree about 1/3 of the soup in a blender or use a hand blender.

Yields 4 - 6 servings