Day 11: Limey
I wanted to try something really different with lentil soup and I found my inspiration in my new cookbook (Christmas gift!) The Feast of Santa Fe. In it I found a recipe for lentil soup with a southwestern flair. The addition of New Mexico green chilies and lime really do make for a different sort of lentil soup, but I can't say it was better than the classic. To be fair, I didn't follow the recipe exactly but I do feel that the recipe called for far too much lime juice. Below I describe what I cooked tonight, but went ahead and reduced the lime to what I think might have been a more reasonable amount.
Lentil Soup with Lime
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 dried bay leaves
2 cups lentils rinsed and picked over
8 cups vegetable broth
1/2 diced canned green chilies
juice of two large limes
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
slash of hot sauce (optional)
In a heavy soup pot heat oil and sweat onions, celery, carrots and garlic 4-5 minutes. Add cumin, oregano and bay leaves and cook for a few minutes. Add lentils and broth, bring to a boil and simmer until lentils are fully cooked. Add chilies and cook for 5 minutes more. Add lime, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a splash of hot sauce (if desired).
Jay's review:
2.5 yums (out of 5). Holy Lime Batman!
