Brown Lentil Soup

So, I was craving a simple red lentil soup. I've had a bad week and just wanted to throw some onions, garlic, spices and lentils in a pot, cover it with water, and come back half an hour later. Alas! The Metro doesn't carry red lentils. (Really. I'm actually quite surprised!) But they did have brown lentils... which I know take a bit longer to cook, and don't get quite as mushy as red lentils. And as many people close to me know, I like mushy foods: legumes, puddings, soft fruits, risotto, mashed potatoes... and would making a brown lentil soup be as satisfying for me? No way to know other than trying.

And I would say this is a success. After a few quick purées with my immersion blender, I had just enough mushy goodness to counterbalance the lentils that held their shape.

This is adapted from Dima Sharif's brown lentil soup.

BROWN LENTIL SOUP

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups water or broth

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 green cardamom pods

4-6 black peppercorns

3 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

salt and pepper to taste

chopped cilantro (optional: I didn't have any, but I'd imagine it would go very well)

Heat oil in a medium to large pot (enough for at least 8 cups). Sauté onions and garlic over medium-high until yellow, but not brown. Add washed lentils and stir to mix. Add water or broth; stir, scraping bottom. Add tea ball stuffed with cardamom, peppercorns and cloves; add cumin seeds (which don't need to go in tea ball), bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Heat until boiling; cover and simmer over low heat 45 minutes or until lentils are cooked to desired texture. Remove from heat; remove tea ball, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. With an immersion blender, give a few whirls to blend around a third of the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cilantro. Yum.

This would go well with any sort of bread.