Two New Things

I have two confessions: 1) If you have not yet noticed, I am not a big fan of following recipes. I believe that this is the art of cooking; to be able to tailor a list of ingredients to suite your taste. This is mainly why I don't bake; and 2) I have never made lentils. My mom would always tell me how easy it was, and how quickly they cook, but I was inexplicably intimidated by these little things.

When my mom gave me a recipe for red lentil soup, I was tackling two great feats: following a recipe, and preparing lentils. I do not understand what the big deal was! It was super easy, the simple ingredients warmed the air with foreign aromas, and the flavors blended together perfectly to create a hearty meal on a chilly night (yes, it is finally chilly over here in Brooklyn).

Red Lentil Soup

3 T olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 T tomato paste
1 t ground cumin
¼ t salt, more to taste
¼ t black pepper
pinch ground cayenne pepper or chili powder
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1 ¼ cups water
1 cup red lentils
2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
juice of ½ lemon, more to taste
cilantro, chopped (couple of teaspoons or to taste)

In a large pot, heat 3 T oil until shimmering. Add onion and garlic and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, sauté for 2 minutes.

Add broth, water, lentils and carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to low simmer. Cook until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt, if necessary.

Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Drizzle with olive oil and dust lightly with chili powder if you’d like.

Makes about 4 servings.



Okay, okay, so I didn't follow it exactly. I only used half an onion because the one I had was enormous. I estimated the cumin measurement and eventually added more than the recipe originally called for. I also used ground ginger, which may not be used in a traditional Middle Eastern lentil soup, but I just love the way carrots taste with a little ginger. I eliminated the cilantro only because I did not feel like using it the rest of the week; just not in a cilantro mood. It was just delicious without it, but it would definitely lend a bright finishing note to the soup. I also added a little more red lentils, just because I was feeling a little daring. I don't have cayenne pepper or chili powder in the pantry (I keep asking myself why...), so I substituted with red pepper flakes. I drizzled in a tiny bit of olive oil, but I don't think it was necessary.



Besides these little changes, I think I did pretty well at trying to follow the recipe. But this is a lesson: you don't always have to stay within the guidelines. "Build on the shoulders of geniuses", as the saying goes, and create your own unique version of someone else's good idea.

Thank you, Mom, for this amazing recipe!