[Recipe] Red Lentil, Bulgur, and Mint Soup

[Guest guest]

This thick, tasty soup was dinner tonite, along with a loaf of “The

Greatest Bread Machine Bread” from our files (which was delicious, btw.

It gets a hearty recommendation from me.) I found the recipe at

www.globalgourmet.com and tweaked it slightly, so there was no meat

products, and also much less fat (the bf is counting cholesterol and

triglycerides.) We both liked it a lot, and will definitely make it

again. Its already in our “keeper” files.

 

(Apparently it’s a traditional Turkish soup, commonly called “Bride’s

Soup”, but I’m not clear on the origins of that.)

 

Red Lentil, Bulgur, and Mint Soup

 

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion , finely diced (about ¾ cup)

4 – 5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped (about ½ cup)

2 tbsp paprika

½ tsp crushed red pepper (the original recipe called for Turkish red

pepper, which I didn’t have)

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 ½ cups red lentils, rinsed and picked over

¼ cup long grain white rice

6 cups vegetable stock or water (I used closer to 8 by the time I was

done)

¼ cup fine grain bulgur

1 tbsp dried mint

salt and freshly ground black pepper

plain bread croutons (optional)

lemon wedges

 

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking

gently until softened by not brown (2 – 3 minutes). Stir in the tomato

paste, chopped tomato, paprika, red pepper, and cayenne. Add the

lentils, rice and stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and

simmer for 30 – 35 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice is

cooked and the lentils have blended with the stock. Add the bulgur and

mint, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes more,

stirring occasionally. If the soup is too thick add a little water.

 

Top each serving with croutons (optional) and a sprinkle of dried mint.

Serve with lemon wedges.

 

The soup was thick and hearty, with a nice zip from the red pepper. The

lemon added a nice tang. We had two bowls each for dinner, and there’s

at least that much left for tomorrow.

 

(Note: this soup was supposed to be garnished with a drizzle made from

2 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp dried mint, and ½ tsp paprika heated

together until it sizzles. I didn’t really want more fat in the soup,

and found it quite tasty without this.

 

The original recipe called for 2 tbsp olive oil as well as 2 tbsp

unsalted clarified butter to sauté the onion and garlic. That was WAY

too much fat for my tastes, and too much cholesterol for the bf. I

substituted vegetable stock for the traditional chicken or beef, and it

turned out just fine.)

 

--

Sherri

 

Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.