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.
red lentil soup with lemon
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 T tomato paste
2 t ground cumin
1/4 t kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 t cayenne powder
1/2 t mexican chili powder
4 c vegetable broth
1 c red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled into shreds
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsleyHeat oil in a large heavy pot and saute garlic and onions until wilty. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne and chili powder until fragrant. Pour in broth, red lentils and carrots. Simmer until lentils and carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Add lemon juice and parsley and serve in deep bowls.
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Hope you’re feeling all better now. What a sweet husband to make you soup!
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 😀
Thanks for this soup recipe – another keeper loaded with good things! I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow…curry in a hurry!!
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!
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?
this soap sounds so comforting and warm. Hopefully you feel better now!
This looks like a tasty soup! Great story!
Cherry blossoms! That sounds just lovely! I can’t wait for spring 🙂 And the lentil soup looks great—I love lentils, and I think red ones are my favorite.
-Jen
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!! 🙂
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!
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.
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 😉
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 🙂
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 😉
thanks john, sure, add away 🙂
looks great! i must try this recipe, thanks.
love your site! hope you don’t mind if I link from my blog.
JOHN
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.
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!
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
we still have lots of cold weather here so this will be one to try! Thanx.
marcie, it certainly seems that way 😉 so glad you loved the soup!
thanks hag!
jasminé, thanks for stopping by!
cooper, i’m not envious of your cold weather! but this is a great soup to hold you through!
Sounds so good! I’ve been sick too (fluey, generally icky) and I had the weirdest craving for homemade broccoli soup. 🙂 It was gorgeous! Soup as a sickbuster can never be beaten.
Hope you’re feeling all better!
Christina
thanks christina, hope you feel better too!
i love, love, love red lentils, and lemon is so good when you are sick!
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.
We make this almost weekly now! It’s so delicious.
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.
Parsley, I think there were probably other factors as well. A bad luck slump that tracked its way into everything I made, perhaps?