Lemony Radish and Lentil Soup
The radish is a strange vegetable. Crunchy and bitter when raw, soft and sweet when baked. A great source of vitamin B6, and the one ingredient I am never sure of. For a long time, I have had a childish dislike for this miniature vegetable but recently we've started to see eye to eye. Not wanting to throw away radishes to make room for red peppers, I turned to my copy of Culinary Artistry
, a book every aspiring cook would surely appreciate, and conjured up a soup to welcome the colder weather with style.
Let me introduce my soupe de radis au citron – or simply put, Lemony Radish Soup.
You'll need the following:
- 1 cup of red lentils
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb radishes
- 1 medium sized potato
- Fresh parsley
- Salt
- Garam masala powder
- Lemon
- Water
Before you start, soak your red lentils. Over night is always recommended, but if you're cooking dinner tonight, 15 minutes will do the trick. Make sure the water runs clear when you are rinsing the lentils before adding to your dish. Heat the bottom of your pan and start to brown your onions with the olive oil.
While your onions are browning, dice the potato (no need to peel if you don't want to) and wash your radishes. Cut in half – or smaller – but make sure the radishes pieces are of similar size so that they can cook evenly. Add the potato and radishes to your onion and prune your fresh parsley into the vegetables.
Add your red lentils, allow the ingredients to cook for four or five minutes before adding water. The water probably sat 1/4" above the vegetables. Cover and leave on a medium-low heat for at least 30 minutes before adding the garam masala, and the juice of one lemon.
Allow to continue to simmer on a low heat, partially uncovered and enjoy a bowl. If you suspect you'll be coming back for more, leave the heat on until you know you're done eating.
This recipe serves four to six people, and for the fellow Weightwatchers out there, has a points-plus value of 5 for a 1-cup serving.
