Puréed Winter Squash And Red Lentil Soup Food

PURéED WINTER SQUASH AND RED LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil over medium heat in large, heavy soup pot. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute.
• Stir in turmeric, squash, red lentils and 2 quarts water. Turn up heat, add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, skim off foam, cover and simmer 35 to 45 minutes, until squash and lentils are tender. Taste and adjust salt.
• Purée soup using an immersion blender or, working in batches, in a blender (pull a towel down over the top of blender to avoid hot splashes). Return to pot if using blender. Add black pepper, taste and adjust salt, and heat through.
• Just before serving, heat butter over medium heat in a small skillet or saucepan and add remaining 2 teaspoons mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Cook, stirring, until seeds are lightly colored and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir into soup.
• Serve with a generous dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of cilantro if desired.

HARIRA SOUP

Steps:

• Put olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly colored, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, pepper, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, saffron and cinnamon. Cook for about 2 minutes more.
• Add tomato, celery leaves and cilantro and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes, until mixture thickens somewhat, then add 1 teaspoon salt, the brown lentils, red lentils and dried favas. Add 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, covered with the lid ajar.
• Let soup simmer for 30 minutes, then taste broth and adjust salt. Cook for 1 hour more at a gentle simmer, until the legumes are soft and creamy. It may be necessary to add more liquid from time to time to keep soup from being too porridge-like. It should be on the thick side, but with a pourable consistency. (With every addition of water, taste and adjust for salt.)
• Just before serving, add pasta and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle soup into small bowls and pass lemon wedges for squeezing.

CURRIED-SQUASH AND RED-LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Make soup:
• Heat oil with butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook squash, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in curry powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.
• Add lentils and water and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 25 to 40 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
• Make cilantro oil:
• Purée cilantro, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender.
• Serve soup drizzled with cilantro oil.

SQUASH & RED LENTIL CURRY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and curry powder (or garam masala); cook, stirring often, until the onion is starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add squash, lentils, tomato and salt; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender and the lentils are mostly broken down, about 20 minutes.
• Stir in coconut milk and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro, if desired.