Soup's on!

We're having some early snowfall and instead of enjoying the last days of fall foliage and crisp leaves under foot, I get the distinct pleasure of navigating icy puddles of slush and snow...not my idea of late October weather. Alas, there is nothing better to combat the cold, wet, wintry mix than soup. Often, I find myself rummaging my pantry and fridge for ingredients I already have on hand rather than having to brave the horrible onslaughts of stroller-wielding pushy soccer moms with their screaming kids weather.

This time, I found some lonely-looking carrots and fresh ginger root in the crisper drawer as well as about three cups of green lentils left over from a previous recipe. Lentil soup it is!

Soup, particularly lentil soup, easily serves as a blank slate for many variations of spices and cooking styles. A classical-French version, mild and refined, would include leeks and perhaps some thyme. Conversely, bold southwestern flavors could be achieved with the addition of Chipotle peppers (wonderfully potent smoked jalapeno peppers) and fresh cilantro. Given my craving for warmth and spice, as well as the serendipitous availability of fresh ginger root in my fridge, I erred in the direction of pungent, Indian-inspired flavors of coriander and cumin.

The essential strategy for soup is that we attempt to extract as much flavors as possible from fairly humble ingredients. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sautee one chopped medium yellow onion in one tablespoon of canola or olive oil. After about 5 minutes, once the onions are translucent, add one teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander. Its important to allow the spices to toast in the oil for a minute or two. This will allow for the naturally-occurring essential oils to be activated and their flavors will released into the onions as you gently stir them around the pot.

 When the spices and onion mixture becomes fragrant, add two chopped carrots and two teaspoon of sea salt and continue to cook for 4 more minutes until the mixture resembles this:

Next, we can add two tablespoons of grated fresh ginger.

As well as 3 cups of washed, green lentils and one large clove of garlic.  Stir the lentils into the pot and make sure that they are well incorporated with the onions, carrot, and spice mixture.

Next, add two quarts of low-sodium vegetable broth or water. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

 Once the lentils are tender, I chose to puree 2 cups of the soup in a food processor so as to achieve a full bodied texture, strewn with pieces of carrots and onion. Please note, if you choose to puree, the soup will thicken considerably, especially on the next day and you may need to adjust the consistency to your liking with up to 2 cups of vegetable broth or water.

Garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt, chopped fresh herbs, or enjoy on its own!