Red Lentil Soup

The other night along with Mr. a, we went to this wonderful book launch and tasting event (pictured above) for "The Essential New York Times Cookbook" and "In The Kitchen With A Good Appetite" With Authors Amanda Hesser and Melissa Clark. We ate copious amounts of delicious bites from well known restaurants including Blue Hill, Gramercy Tavern, Locanda Verde to name a few. The event was to benefit an incredible program started by Bill Telepan, Wellness in the Schools. It took place in a cool chelsea market space and the place was peppered with food-literati-celebrities. I met Dorie Greenspan (yay!), and both Amanda Hesser and Melissa Clark. I thought I could not possibly leave without a book purchase and I went with Ms. Clark's book given the lower price tag. She was lovely by the way.
Looking through the book her Red Lentil Soup seemed like the perfect fall dinner and it did not disappoiint. It was a lot of soup so I froze half, also I added some grated ginger and Aleppo pepper I had at hand. Hope you enjoy!



Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
Adapted slightly from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, by Melissa Clark

4 Tbsp. olive oil, plus additional good oil for drizzling
2 large yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
A few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne or Aleppo pepper, or more to taste
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups red lentils, picked through for stones and debris
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
1 1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the onions and garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, 2 cups water, the lentils, and the carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Continue to cook until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste, and add more salt if necessary. Using an immersion or regular blender, puree about half of the soup. It should still be somewhat chunky, not completely smooth. Reheat if necessary, then stir in the lemon juice, grated ginger and cilantro. Serve the soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted very lightly with cayenne, if desired.
* I also added some avocado slices into the soup at the end as a garnish, it was yum.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings