TASTE OF CATER CARE FACT
Eating lentils is an essential part of consuming a ‘balanced diet’, as they are highly nutritious and an excellent source of protein, dietary fibre, iron and potassium. Lentils have been eaten and traced back to as early as 8000 BC, with lentil soup also mentioned in the bible in the Book of Genesis.
Our recipe’s key ingredient is the red lentil, which is ‘slow cooked’ in a Middle Eastern style broth flavoured with roasted garlic, cumin, turmeric and lemon juice for a little traditional Middle Eastern sourness.
INGREDIENTS
- 20ml Olive oil – peel, halve
- 180gm Brown Onion and finely dice.
- 1 Garlic Bulb – prick the bulb 4 times with a fork, roast in a moderately heated oven for 50–60
minutes, or until softened. Remove, allow to cool. Slice off ½cm from the bulb’s base, squeeze out the garlic puree. - 3 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Ground Turmeric – rinse 250g Red Lentils and drain.
- 1.2Lt Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- 500ml Water
- 800gm Crushed Tomato
- 2½ tsp Caster Sugar
- To Taste – Sea Salt and Freshly
- Ground Black Pepper
- ½ bunch Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves – rinse, drain and finely chop.
- 1½ tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 120gm Natural Yoghurt
- As Required – Ground Cumin
- 12 Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves – rinse, drain and roughly tear.
METHOD
- Heat a saucepan over a moderate heat, add the olive oil and onion and sauté, stirring regularly until the onion has softened. Add the roasted garlic, first batch of cumin and turmeric and continue to sauté for a further minute.
- Add the red lentils, chicken or vegetable stock, water and crushed tomatoes. Mix to combine the ingredients, then bring up to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender and breaking down. Add the sugar, and stir through. Season to taste, and then remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add the first batch of parsley, lemon juice and second batch of cumin to the soup and mix until thoroughly combined.
TO SERVE
Gently reheat the soup, then divide it between four serving bowls. Top each with a dollop of natural yoghurt, and top the yoghurt with a light sprinkle of ground cumin, then torn parsley leaves.
