Spicy Lentil Soup

We are having a real cold spell, so are back in soup mode. We made a wonderful lentil soup from the Mustard's cookbook, using turnips instead of beets, because that's what's in the garden and We didn't have to go to the store. The recipe uses a great combination of spices: black pepper, black mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and turmeric to make a beautifully colored soup using red lentils.

Spicy Lentil Soup

Mainly from Mustard's Grill by Cindy Pawlcyn but this is my modified version, as always. If you want the original, buy the cookbook. It is well worth it.

Spice Mix:
1 T black peppercorns
1 T black mustard seed
2 T coriander seeds
2 T ground turmeric

Soup:
2 dried chipotle pepper
3 T extra virgin olive oil
8 cl garlic garlic, minced
1 c onions, minced
1 c carrots, minced
4 med turnips, minced
1 c dry white wine
8-10 c chicken stock
1/2 lb orange lentils
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, minced
2 tea salt
2 T champagne vinegar
3 T cilantro minced

To make spice mix, combine peppercorns, mustard and coriander seeds in a dry skillet. Toast over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes, until seeds begin to pop. Let cool then grind in a spice grinder and mix with the turmeric. Use 1 T of mix for soup, reserving the remainder.

To make soup, preheat oven to 350. Place chilies on baking sheet and toast 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Transfer chilies to a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes, until soft. Heat oil in a large pot until hot, add garlic, onions and chilies and cook until soft, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add 1 T spice mix, carrots and turnips and cook about 5 minutes. Add wine, cook 1 minute, then add broth. Add lentils, potatoes and ginger. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, adding more broth if it gets too thick. Season with salt and vinegar and serve with coriander.

We served it with whole wheat tortillas and it was great.



We are submitting it to Weekend Herb Blogging hosted this week by Ulrick at Küchenlatein. Please go check out her round up on Monday. They are always full of great food information.

Cheers!