Lemony red lentil soup

There are lots of recipes for red lentil soup out there. Having tried a few, I’ve pretty much settled on this lemony red lentil soup, which is adapted from a Sophie Dahl recipe I came across in Waitrose magazine.

Lemony red lentil soup
(serves 6)

• 500g red lentils
• 1.5 litres vegetable stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 1 Tb ground cumin
• 3 lemons, juiced
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped

1. Pour the lentils into a strainer and rinse well. Add the lentils to a soup pot along with 1.25 litres of stock and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for half an hour, or until the lentils are very soft, adding more stock or water if needed.
3. While the lentils cook, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, and sauté for ten minutes, or until soft.
4. Add the cumin and sauté a few minutes more before adding to the lentils with the lemon juice. Remove from the heat.
5. Allow the soup to cool a bit and remove the bay leaves. Purée the soup with a blender stick, thinning with the remaining stock if it seems too thick.
6. Adjust the seasoning, stir through half the chopped coriander, and garnish with the rest.

Tags: coriander, dairy-free, gluten-free, lemons, Middle Eastern food, red lentils, vegan, vegetarian