lentil soup

a few months ago one of my go-to lunch spots around the corner from work - which i simply called "the falafel place" - shut down. it reopened almost immediately as... a falafel place. (the old owner sold it so he could focus on soccer full time. or something. i don't quite remember.)

the new falafel place does a couple things better - they have wheat bread, for one. and pickles for falafel sandwiches, which is not standard but which i love.

the down side is their lentil soup isn't as delicious, and you get less for more money.

no problem though - last summer when i was working out of a different office and craving my stand-by lentil soup, i tried making it myself. it was easier than i thought - i actually overspiced it the first time or two, and now i've got it down to a science. the key is salt.

1. chop half an onion, throw it into a pot with about a tablespoon of olive oil, cook until tender.

2. add about a tablespoon or two of whole cumin seeds* that you've pummeled with your mortar and pestle and stir until fragrant, then

3. add a cup of red lentils and about 5 cups water.

4. cook until lentils are soft - less than 20 minutes.

5. add about a teaspoon of salt (to taste) and a quarter cup of lemon juice (to taste).

blending is optional. a little blending is nice.

* you can also add a little fenugreek, parsley, or turmeric. no more than 1/4 t of the fenugreek or turmeric, i'd say. and the cumin is the key ingredient, so make sure you've got plenty.

this pic is unfortunately of the less delicious new-falafel-place soup. it's not horible, it just makes me want to cook my own lentil soup.

the nice thing about this soup is that i almost always have all the ingredients in my cupboard/refrigerator, and it doesn't call for vegetable broth, which makes me feel good.