Lentil Soup with Lime Juice

[Guest guest]

Lentil Soup with Lime Juice

 

1 1/2 cups dried lentils

6 cups water, and additional water as needed

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon whole cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried mint, thyme, or oregano

3 bay leaves

1/4 to 1/2 cup canned chopped mild green chiles

1 bell pepper, deveined, seeded and cut into chunks

1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

1/4 cup lime juice, preferably fresh-squeezed

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Place the first 7 ingredients into a 3-quart pot and bring to a boil over

medium heat. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface, cover the pot, and

boil gently until lentils are thoroughly soft - this takes anywhere from 30

to 60 minutes.

Place the green chiles and 1 cup of the soup into a food processor and

process continuously until pureed. Return mixture to the soup in the pot.

Wipe the processor bowl with a paper towel or rinse lightly, then finely

chop first the bell pepper and then the carrot in it, using repeated pulses

of the motor and stopping at least once to scrape down the bowl with a

spatula. Add the bell pepper and then the carrot to the soup. From this

point, the soup can be held off heat until serving time, or you can proceed

directly to the final step.

When you are ready to serve, bring the soup back to a boil (but do not cook

at this temperature for more than a minute since you want the bell pepper

and carrot to remain crisp), taste for seasoning and add more water to

adjust the texture--the soup should be thick enough to coat a spoon but not

porridgy. Stir in the lime juice and olive oil, warm through for a few

seconds more and serve.

serves 4 to 6.