Curried Lentil Soup

I have been reading Bon Appétit every month for as long as I can remember.

One of the recipes this month that caught my attention was this Curried Lentil Soup.  A HUGE pot of lentil soup to eat for lunch all week seemed like the perfect end to a cold November. 

The article about this lentil soup was written by Molly Wizenberg, the writer of Orangette.  She describes her search for a great lentil soup recipe.  She stumbled upon this soup at Picnic in Seattle.  Chef owners Anson and Jenny Klock have perfected their lentil soup recipe with trial and error.  One of Anson's techniques includes adding pureed chickpeas instead of  a stick of butter.  The chickpeas add the richness of cream or butter without all the fat.  

This soup is deliciously comforting and wonderful for leftovers. 

The curry powder was not overwhelming and the lentils stood out as the star.  I undercooked the lentils a bit, so they still had a good bite. 

If you have never liked lentil soup I think this recipe will change your mind!

Chop all your veggies before you start because this soup moves fast!

Saute your veggies with a good amount of salt and pepper.  The soup base is water, so you don't have to worry too much about adding too much salt.

 I couldn't find French Green Lentils, which the recipe called for, so I used brown lentils.  These lentils tend to overcook so be careful with your cooking time.

Saute veggies with curry powder until fragrant.  The mixture will seem quite dry.

 Chickpea puree - almost looks like hummus, right?

Add chickpea puree, butter, and additional water (if needed) to the cooked lentils.

Serve with green onions, lemon wedges, and crusty sourdough bread.

Such a yummy soup!

Curried Lentil Soup

Adapted from Bon Appétit December 2010

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 medium Onion chopped

2 medium Carrots finely chopped

2 large Garlic Cloves chopped

2 Tbsp (or more) Curry Powder

1 cup Brown Lentils (the original recipe call for French green lentils, however I could not find any)

4 3/4 cups Water

1 - 15 oz can Chickpeas drained and rinsed

1 Tbsp fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Green Onions sliced

1 Lemon cut into wedges

Hot Sauce

Directions:

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onions, carrots, salt, and pepper and saute until onions begin to become translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add half of the chopped garlic and saute until vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes.  Add curry powder and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add lentils and 4 1/2 cups water.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes or until lentils are al dente.  Brown lentils tend to over cook, so be careful and watch the lentils.  

While soup is cooking puree chickpeas, lemon juice, remaining garlic, 1/4 cup water, salt, pepper, and remaining olive oil.  

Add chickpea puree, butter, lemon juice, and additional water if needed.  Taste for salt, pepper, and curry powder.  Add more to suite your tastes.

Serve with lemon wedges, green onion, and hot sauce.