I had never eaten lentils before I met my husband. And the ones I saw in the grocery store were green and looked a lot like little round beans. But my mother-in-law introduced me to red lentils. Used a lot in Middle Eastern cooking, red lentils nearly disappear when you cook them. The result? Satisfying, creamy soups that are healthy and choc full of vitamins.
Red Lentil Soup:
For this recipe you’ll need:
1 1/2 cup red lentils (look in the Middle Eastern section of your supermarket)
8 cups beef stock
2 medium sized onions
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 Tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks, room temperature
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
To Make This Recipe:
Wash the lentils with water to remove any sediment. Put them in a large soup pan with beef stock and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover partially, and cook for 35-40 minutes until they are tender. Pass them through a sieve for a thin soup or use an immersion blender.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add chopped onion and sautee until soft. Add flour and brown for one more minute. Add to the lentil puree. Add the salt and pepper and allow to cook a few minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the egg yolks with cold milk. Add 4 ladles of the soup, one at a time, to the mixture, whisking quickly each time to avoid the eggs scrambling. Add the mixture to the boiling soup and stir well. Allow it to just come to a boil then remove the pan from the heat. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes before eating.