on the mend: red lentil soup with lemon


Last week I was illin’, through and through. I had lost my voice and was pretty much a sad sack of sickness. On Thursday night I couldn’t make it to a business dinner we had planned with some new clients, but when Cornelius returned empty handed from the meeting, I was pretty peeved. What kind of husband would forget to pick up a burrito or a can of soup for his sickly wife left at home. Uh, that would be mine. True he’s my favorite person in the whole wide world, but that night, he held his head in shame.


In order to get back in good graces, I told him that he would have to make it up to me by making some homemade soup. I picked out a recipe that I had been eying for a little while and he eagerly took up the challenge. Despite the ease of this recipe, it was quite an undertaking for someone who didn’t know where the lentils were kept or what pot to use. My husband, as sweet as he is, does not cook. At all. He can make toast and eggs and hot dogs, and once he made me a birthday cake, but he doesn’t know his way around a kitchen. As Cornelius got down to it, he would call out questions and I’d answer where the cumin was kept and where to find the tube of tomato paste. I don’t know if he really enjoyed the whole process, but he really did enjoy using the new y-peeler he had gotten me as a stocking stuffer at Christmas time. In fact, instead of dicing up the carrots, he just shredded carrot ribbons into the pot. It turned out to be a nice touch, too!


Regardless of his kitchen ineptitude, this soup turned out terrific. It had a nice bite from the lemon and it was full of flavour. And those carrot ribbons, brilliant! In fact, I’ll credit this soup with getting me back on the mend. My cold is pretty much shaken, my husband is back in the good books and hey, it looks like spring is finally here on the west coast! I took a walk yesterday and the cherry blossoms are out and isn’t that a wonderful thing?

Recipe adapted from Scott over at Sugar and Lard.

25 comments to “on the mend: red lentil soup with lemon”

  1. 1
    Cookie baker Lynn   February 24, 2008 at 1:38 pm

    Hope you’re feeling all better now. What a sweet husband to make you soup!

  2. 2
    Bijoux   February 24, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    Yeah! good for C!!
    This story reminded me of a time when I was upset with my hubbie and I told him that the only way he could make it up to me was to make me a chocolate cake with frosting…well, he did make the cake and frosted it too…however, it was a Dunkin Hines cake mix cake and ready-made frosting in a tub…oh, well…it tasted good nonetheless, and I did forgive him because now I can’t even recall what made me so upset with him in the first place…LOL
    I can totally sympathize with you about wanting something to eat when you are sick and hubbie coming home with bare hands…mine brought me a can of Brunswick sardines with mustard sauce once when I had the flu (!!) I still bring it up on occasion just cause I thought it was so funny ๐Ÿ˜€
    Thanks for this soup recipe – another keeper loaded with good things! I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow…curry in a hurry!!

  3. 3
    michelle   February 24, 2008 at 7:35 pm

    1. red lentil soup rules my world. with cumin, with curry, with andouille (my current fave). it’s all awesome.

    2. i love the carrot ribbons.

    3. thanks for adding me to the blogroll! i’m actually a little giddy!

  4. 4
    Fawn   February 24, 2008 at 8:50 pm

    Even if it didn’t taste good, it’s simply beautiful! I’d like to give it a try sometime, but am not sure if I can find red lentils… these are dried, right?

  5. 5
    amanda   February 24, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    this soap sounds so comforting and warm. Hopefully you feel better now!

  6. 6
    Gretchen Noelle   February 25, 2008 at 4:37 am

    This looks like a tasty soup! Great story!

  7. 7
    Jen   February 25, 2008 at 5:50 am

    Cherry blossoms! That sounds just lovely! I can’t wait for spring ๐Ÿ™‚ And the lentil soup looks greatโ€”I love lentils, and I think red ones are my favorite.
    -Jen

  8. 8
    Amanda Barkey   February 25, 2008 at 8:02 am

    wow! awesome, my boss is on this diet kick and we never stop hearing abotu lentils around the office! TWO lentil recipes in a row!? im all about making soups lately (expecially in this dreadfull alberta winter weather) so im going to try out this one tonight and bring a bowl for my boss tomorrow to get in his good graces (can you say keener?! hahah yeah, right) thanks for the lentil recipes!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. 9
    Marie   February 25, 2008 at 12:58 am

    That soup looks delicious! How nice that your husband made it for you as well. That probably made it taste even better! HOpe you are feeling alot better now!

  10. 10
    rach   February 25, 2008 at 1:50 am

    That’s curious. Over here ‘chuffed’ means ‘pleased,’ so I had to reread that section a few times.

    Regardless, that soup looks amazing. I’ve been feeling under the weather lately, so I shall have to give it a red hot go. Although, that said, I am the most controlling control freak to have ever control freaked in a kitchen, so I would not allow anyone to touch my pans and make this for me.

  11. 11
    kickpleat   February 25, 2008 at 10:50 am

    amanda, this is super comforting! thanks, i’m feeling a ton better!

    lynn, yup, he’s a sweetheart! true.

    sardines? oi!! that’s the worst, bijoux! i think i’d rather have an empty hand ๐Ÿ˜‰

    thanks michelle, red lentil is also apparently ruling my world!

    fawn, yes, red lentils are dried. good luck on your search!

    marie, i think it did make the soup taste an extra bit more delicious ๐Ÿ™‚

    rach, oi! i always thought cuffed was akin to pissed. so wrong i am!

    thanks superlucky!

    gretchen, this soup is uber-tasty!

    it’s been pretty spring-like here all week. hooray for spring!!

    wideopen, haha!! enjoy the red lentil recipes and hope they get you a raise ๐Ÿ˜‰

    thanks john, sure, add away ๐Ÿ™‚

  12. 12
    superluckykitchen   February 25, 2008 at 4:13 am

    looks great! i must try this recipe, thanks.

  13. 13
    aka frank   February 25, 2008 at 10:09 am

    love your site! hope you don’t mind if I link from my blog.

    JOHN

  14. 14
    marcie   February 25, 2008 at 5:25 pm

    man i think all boys are cut from the same mold….i made this soup today it was awesome! i love how the cayanne hits the back of your throat.

  15. 15
    hag   February 25, 2008 at 9:58 pm

    yummy, looks good. I hope you are feeling better. I must have been under a rock…because I missed your ice cream post…that looks/sounds great! I have gotta try it…and no ice cream maker!

  16. 16
    Jasminรฉ   February 26, 2008 at 2:18 pm

    That soup looks beautiful and your blog is lovely too!
    Not sure how I came across it, but will bookmark it and be back soon
    take care

  17. 17
    Cooper   February 26, 2008 at 6:41 pm

    we still have lots of cold weather here so this will be one to try! Thanx.

  18. 18
    kickpleat   February 26, 2008 at 7:37 pm

    marcie, it certainly seems that way ๐Ÿ˜‰ so glad you loved the soup!

    thanks hag!

    jasminรฉ, thanks for stopping by!

    cooper, i’m not envious of your cold weather! but this is a great soup to hold you through!

  19. 19
    HappySlob   February 27, 2008 at 11:01 am

    Sounds so good! I’ve been sick too (fluey, generally icky) and I had the weirdest craving for homemade broccoli soup. ๐Ÿ™‚ It was gorgeous! Soup as a sickbuster can never be beaten.

    Hope you’re feeling all better!
    Christina

  20. 20
    kickpleat   February 28, 2008 at 11:09 am

    thanks christina, hope you feel better too!

  21. 21
    Pink   March 6, 2008 at 9:25 am

    i love, love, love red lentils, and lemon is so good when you are sick!

  22. 22
    karli   April 11, 2008 at 2:18 am

    i made this and it was really good! actaully i made it twice, the first time i used a powdered vegetable broth that was too salty and shouldn’t have also added salt. but the second time i skipped the salt and it was SO great! the lemon really does it, in my opinion. thanks for the idea!

    i just love reading your blog, by the way.

  23. 23
    onenicething   March 8, 2010 at 6:24 pm

    We make this almost weekly now! It’s so delicious.

  24. 24
    Parsley   February 17, 2015 at 4:23 am

    I’m quite surprised that this recipe didn’t turn out well for you using lime for lemon. I have happily used them interchangeably for years. Well, I’m guessing Caesar salad dressing might not be quite the same with lime. Interesting.

  25. 25
    kickpleat   February 17, 2015 at 9:10 am

    Parsley, I think there were probably other factors as well. A bad luck slump that tracked its way into everything I made, perhaps?

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