Egyptian Red Lentil Soup from David

This is what David made for trapeza our first Sunday in our new building! A very good soup for a very good day.

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Egyptian Red Lentil Soup

5 cups vegetable broth or water

1 cup dried red lentils

2 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped potatoes

8 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper

Prep Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs

1. Add the first 5 ingredients to a large pot; cover and bring to a boil.

2. Lower the heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until the lentils and veggies are tender.

3. Take pot from stove burner and set aside.

4. In a small saucepan, add the oil; warm over low heat until the oil is hot but not smoking.

5. Add in the cumin, turmeric, and salt; cook and stir constantly for for 2-3 minutes or until the cumin has released its fragrance (be careful not to scorch the spices).

6. Set spice mixture aside for 1 minute to cool.

7. Stir spice mixture into the lentil mixture; add cilantro, stir to combine.

8. You can puree the soup, in batches, in a blender OR you can use an immersion blender and blend to desired texture (I like to leave it a little chunky).

9. Add in lemon juice; stir to combine.

10. Rewarm soup in soup pot; season if needed with salt/pepper.