Moroccan Spiced Soup To Warm A Winter Evening
During the current wave of lockdown I've been finding artisan soup making quite therapeutic.
The process of prepping the vegetables and the time taken up by the cooking process has occupied my mind, taken time away from the anxieties posed by the lockdown - the health concerns, missing seeing family and worry about our business being currently closed - lots of uncertainty. So soup making and cooking has been one way to gain back some focus during each period in the kitchen.
After posting an image of this soup last night on social media, and as guests can't currently visit to sample the food at Lamlash House, I’m sharing this recipe with you to enjoy and perhaps to help occupy your time too.
Johnathan
@LamlashHouse
Lightly Spiced Moroccan Carrot and Lentil Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients
Olive oil
2 onions chopped
2 or 3 cloves of garlic chopped or minced
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
(you can add a sprinkle of chilli flakes if you prefer a spicier/hotter soup)
1 x 400g tin chopped plum tomatoes
150g green lentils, rinsed
3 or 4 medium to large carrots, peeled and chopped
1½ litres vegetable stock
2 handfuls spinach, washed
Sea salt
Fresh parsley or coriander, chopped
Natural thick yoghurt
Lemon wedges
Method
Heat a large saucepan, add a splash of oil and slowly fry the onions and garlic for around 10 minutes, until soft. Season with salt and pepper at the start.
Add all of the spices and stir into the onions and oil for a few minutes to make a paste. Allow the spices to gently warm to release their flavours.
Empty in all of the tomatoes and juice.
Cook slowly for five minutes, then add the carrots, lentils and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and turn heat down to allow the soup to simmer. Add more salt & pepper if necessary, then continue to cook for around 25-30 minutes. Taste to ensure the lentils and carrots are tender.
Meanwhile add some oil to a frying pan and add the Spinach over a low heat. Add some ground sea salt. Allow the spinach to wilt. Set aside.
When ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle over parsley or coriander into the soup and top with the cooked spinach and 2 spoonfuls of yoghurt.
Get guests to squeeze the juice from the wedge of lemon into the soup at the table.