Deniz and I have always loved lentil soup. Before we met, each of us made it in our own way, me with Taiwanese seasoning (soy sauce and vegetables), Deniz with Turkish seasoning (tomato paste and onions). When we started cooking together, we found a way to marry our two recipes, and the result was better than either of our original recipes. It’s now become one of our old standby easy recipes if we don’t know what to cook. We had a little extra lentil this week and decided to make it again. This time we spiced it up with chipotle and it turned out dynamite. We’re adding it to this website so we don’t forget to add the chipolte again next time!
Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 T tomato paste
- 3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
- 3 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 t garlic, minced
- 1½ c dried lentils
- 1 large chipolte from a can marinading in adobo sauce, chopped
- 10 c vegetable broth
- ¼ c orzo
- olive oil for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Prepare the ingredients as described on the ingredients list.
Heat 2 T of cooking oil in a large non-stick pot. Stir fry the chopped onions in the oil for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and continue stir-frying for another minute. Add the chopped celery, carrots, and garlic and continue stir-frying for 2 minutes. Add the lentils, chipotle and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the orzo and continue simmering covered for another 10 minutes. Garnish with (optional) olive oil.
