Puréed Winter Squash And Red Lentil Soup Recipes

LENTIL SOUP WITH CILANTRO (LOTS OF IT)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat, and add the garlic. Stir until fragrant, about a minute, and stir in the cumin and cayenne. Add the lentils, onion, bay leaf, water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the broth aromatic. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Remove the halved onion and the bay leaf.
• Coarsely puree the soup in an immersion blender or food mill. Alternatively, puree half the soup in blender, 1 1/2 cups at time, being careful to cover the top of the blender with a towel to avoid hot splashes, then stir back into the soup. Heat through.
• Chop the cilantro, discarding the stems. Stir into the soup just before serving. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve, topping each bowl with a dollop of yogurt.

PURéED WINTER SQUASH AND RED LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil over medium heat in large, heavy soup pot. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute.
• Stir in turmeric, squash, red lentils and 2 quarts water. Turn up heat, add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, skim off foam, cover and simmer 35 to 45 minutes, until squash and lentils are tender. Taste and adjust salt.
• Purée soup using an immersion blender or, working in batches, in a blender (pull a towel down over the top of blender to avoid hot splashes). Return to pot if using blender. Add black pepper, taste and adjust salt, and heat through.
• Just before serving, heat butter over medium heat in a small skillet or saucepan and add remaining 2 teaspoons mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Cook, stirring, until seeds are lightly colored and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir into soup.
• Serve with a generous dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of cilantro if desired.

CURRIED-SQUASH AND RED-LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Make soup:
• Heat oil with butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook squash, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in curry powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.
• Add lentils and water and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 25 to 40 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
• Make cilantro oil:
• Purée cilantro, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender.
• Serve soup drizzled with cilantro oil.