astray recipes: Spiced lentil soup

Categories: Soup/stew
Yield: 4 servings

Measure	Ingredient
3 tablespoons	Olive oil
2 tablespoons	Unsalted butter
1	Onion, chopped
2	Carrots, diced
2	Ribs celery, diced
1	Green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 small	"waxy" boiling potato, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon	Ground cumin
1 teaspoon	Ground pure chili powder
¾ teaspoon	Ground allspice
1 small	Imported bay leaf and 5 sprigs parsley
	Tied together with kitchen string
½ pounds	Lentils, picked over
6 cups	Chicken broth
	Salt
	Freshly-ground black pepper

Place the olive oil, butter, and onion in a soup kettle, set over low heat and cook until the onion has softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium, add the carrots and stir-cook for 1 minute. Add the celery and stir-cook for 1 minute. Add the green pepper and stir-cook for 1 minute. Add the diced potato, cumin, chili powder, and allspice; stir-cook for 1 minute. Add the herb bundle, lentils, and chicken broth; bring to a boil, then boil for 1 minute. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour, or until the lentils are tender. The soup may be prepared in advance up to this point.) Season the soup with salt and fresh pepper to taste and discard the parsley-bay leaf bundle. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and serve steaming hot.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

[WASHINGTON POST JAN 11, 1989] Posted by Fred Peters.

spiced lentil soup