Red Lentil Soup With Smoked Paprika Food

RED LENTIL SOUP WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat, and add the onion, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Reduce the heat, season with salt and pepper, and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until wilted and starting to color. Add both paprikas and the cumin, and briefly toast until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the wine, and once it has bubbled away, add the tomatoes, season again with salt, and stir well. Cook until most of the tomato juices have reduced, about 3 minutes.
• Add the lentils, 2 1/2 quarts water, the saffron, and the sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until the lentils are completely tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Give the soup a few pulses with an immersion blender to create a creamy but still chunky texture. Add the lemon juice and check the seasoning. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and herb leaves.

RED LENTIL, CHICKPEA, AND TOMATO SOUP WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in frying pan and saute the diced onion until it's soft and starting to brown lightly, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, dried thyme, Vege-Sal, and black pepper and saute 2-3 minutes more, or until spices are fragrant.
• Add onion-spice mixture to Crock Pot, then rinse out the frying pan with 1 cup of the stock and add to crock pot along with red lentils, rinsed chickpeas, and rest of stock. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until lentils are starting to soften and dissolve into the soup. (I cooked mine for 2 1/2 hours. Cooking time will depend partly on how old the lentils are.).
• When lentils are starting to soften, add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes with juice. Cook for 1-2 hours more on high, or until the lentils and chickpeas are both quite soft. Then remove about 1/2 the soup to a bowl (or the large 8-cup measuring cup I had worked perfectly.) Puree the soup you removed using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender. (If you're using a food processor or blender, be very careful with the hot soup, pureeing in batches if necessary.)
• Stir the pureed soup back into the soup in the Crock Pot; taste and add more salt or fresh ground black pepper if desired. Let soup cook about 15 minutes more, then serve hot, with sour cream of plain yogurt if desired.