Soup Girl

I love soup. I have always loved soup. In fact, I can't recall a time in my life when I haven't adored soup.

As a child, we would often go out for family dinners to a local restaurant called Abdow's. They had the most amazing "soup and salad bar" imaginable (or, at least, amazing to my elementary-school-aged self). I would almost always choose this as my meal, because getting the "soup and salad bar" meant unlimited soup. Of course, it also meant unlimited salad, but that mattered very little to me. My sister was the lettuce-loving child (who, to my horror, would actually eat iceberg lettuce plain with no dressing). I, on the other hand, was lured in by the soup. Steaming bowlfuls of vegetable, potato, and tomato soup...with corn chowder on especially wonderful days. Adbow's soup extravaganza also meant that I didn't have to choose. I got a little of each bisque, chowder, and stew, with no need to worry myself with decision-making. And when it comes to good soup, decisions should not have to be made.

So, as you can imagine, new soup recipes are always welcome in our house. And, when they turn out to be easy, flavorful, and interesting, we ask them to stay and almost always invite them back. Such was the case with this week's recipe for Curried Red Lentil Soup. The decision to try this recipe (at least on my part) was born partly out of necessity. With an upcoming move on the horizon, we are working to eat through our pantry in an effort to avoid packing food on top of all the other things that there will be to pack. A bag of red lentils was amongst the pantry items that had long been forgotten. However, upon rediscovering them, I decided that destiny awaited them, in the form of soup!

And so, soup was made. Simple soup. Nothing complicated. No long lists of ingredients. But, still...a good, flavorful, worthwhile concoction. If soup makes you as happy as it makes me, cook yourself a pot. In the opinion of this particular soup-lover, there are few things that make a home as comfortable as a simmering pot of soup on the stove.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

I'm 29. However, at first glance, walking down the street, you'd probably assume I was a teenager. Most people do, until they talk to me. I've gotten used to this, although it definitely used to bother me growing up and all I wanted was to look my age! People would tell me,"You'll be so happy when you're 40 and you look 25!" I'm beginning to understand what they meant and I'm starting to like the fact that I look much more youthful than most of the people I graduated high school with. I mean, seriously, to have graduated 10 years ago and STILL look like I'm in high school!? I don't see anything wrong with that! Wrinkles? What wrinkles?

Now, take a look at the picture below. At first glance, you'd think it was split pea soup. Where the heck are the red lentils? I thought for sure it would be red in color. I guess the curry took over, dominating the color and the spice. This soup is completely opposite of split pea soup, despite looking very similar to it.


Don't let the green color fool you...
Pea soup - a hammy, bacony, pea mixture
Red Lentil Soup - a surprisingly spicy, curry flavored concoction

Oh, and don't let the youthful appearence fool ya either...
A teenager - a slightly (or very) immature, high school student just learning how to drive
Mandi - a tres mature, working woman with 11 years of driving under her belt

Moral of this cooking session: Don't judge a bowl of soup by it's color!

The Recipe: Curried Red Lentil Soup

from The Clueless Vegetarian by Evelyn Raab

1 1/4 cups red lentils
1/2 cup raw white rice
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. curry powder
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. salt
Yogurt or lemon wedges (optional)

Measure the lentils and the rice into a medium bowl, and rinse in several changes of water, draining off the cloudy water and repeating until the water remains clear. Cover with fresh warm water and let soak for a few minutes.

While the lentils are soaking, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, and let cook until softened - about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Meanwhile, drain the lentils and rice, and dump into the saucepan. As soon as the soup begins to boil, reduce the heat, cover the pot and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and rice are tender - about 20 minutes.

Now, you can serve the soup as it is, and it's quite fine. Or, you can blend the whole business in a blender or food processor for a smooth and creamy lentil soup. Or (best of both worlds) blend about half the soup, and stir the blended and unblended parts together for a semi-smooth result. It will still be quite thick - you can add a little more broth to thin it, if you like. Add the salt (some canned vegetable broths are already quite salty, so taste it first), heat through and serve with a dollop of yogurt or a wedge of lemon.

Makes about 4 servings.