This is a rich hearty tomato soup with a bit of a kick. You can add more or less chili flakes as you wish, I like my food to be hot so I tend to go overboard with the spice. I made this soup for the first time yesterday and was pleased with the results so thought I'd share the recipe.
Critic's review:
"It's really tasty." - my husband.
"It's really tasty." - my husband.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 cup of mixed dried lentils (follow the instructions on the packet(s) and ensure these have been soaked overnight before you start this recipe)
1 tablespoon of oil (or more if desired)
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tsp chili flakes
2 sticks of celery, sliced
1 carrot, grated
2 tbsp tomato puree
12 chopped tomatoes (remove skins by piercing and submerging in boiling water) or 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
black pepper as desired
1 litre of vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp of chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon of oil (or more if desired)
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tsp chili flakes
2 sticks of celery, sliced
1 carrot, grated
2 tbsp tomato puree
12 chopped tomatoes (remove skins by piercing and submerging in boiling water) or 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
black pepper as desired
1 litre of vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp of chopped fresh basil
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until soft.
2. Add the chili flakes, celery and carrot. Cook for five minutes on a medium heat.
3. Add the tomato puree and stir, cook for five minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes (either fresh or tinned), sugar, salt and black pepper and cook for ten minutes on a medium heat.
5. Add the lentils, vegetable stock, bay leaves and 1 tbsp of the fresh basil. Cover and cook on a low heat for 40 minutes.
6. Remove the bay leaves. Blend the soup, adding more vegetable stock if necessary.
7. Garnish with the remaining fresh basil to serve. Enjoy!