Sunday, 18 February 2007

Soup’s On…

The weather has been cold, wet and dreary lately and nothing is more warming or comforting than a big bowl of thick tasty soup. I chose to make this soup as I love the combination of carrots and thyme. The red lentils act as the perfect thickener in place of the usual potato. The tortilla croutons provide a nice crunch and are lighter than standard croutons. The consistency of the soup is quite thick, which I personally love, but if you prefer thinner soups you could easily achieve this by adding more stock. I like to freeze the leftovers in single serving portions that I can then reheat and take into uni with me for lunch as it makes a welcome change to sandwiches.

This is also my first entry to any of the food events that regularly take place. ‘Soup’s on’ is an ongoing event for February that’s hosted by Alanna over at A Veggie Venture. Check out the other entries and rules here.

Carrot, Red Lentil and Thyme Soup with Tortilla Croutons


For the soup
1 onion
3 medium carrots
200g dried red lentils
1 clove garlic
2 tsp dried thyme or 2 fresh sprigs
2 pints vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to season
1 tbsp olive oil
Small knob of butter

Method
Heat the oil and butter together in a large saucepan. Peel and roughly dice the onion and carrots and add them to the pan.
Crush the garlic and add to the pan along with the thyme. Cover with a lid and allow to sweat over a low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for 10 minutes until the carrots are just beginning to soften.
Rinse the lentils under cold water and add to the pan along with the vegetable stock.
Cover and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the carrots have softened and the lentils have become soft and mushy. (If using fresh thyme sprigs, remove them at this point).
Blitz the soup either with a hand blender or in a liquidiser until thick and smooth.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with the tortilla croutons and a drizzle of cream.
Serves 3 – 4 depending on appetite.

For the croutons
1 flour tortilla
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
Pinch of salt

Method
Brush the tortilla with the olive oil and sprinkle over the dried thyme and a pinch of salt.
Cut into 1-2cm squares and place on a baking tray.
Bake in the oven at 200oC for 3-4 minutes until crisp and golden.

1 comment:

Alanna Kellogg said...

Hi Katie ~ Welcome to food blogging! I hope you find the same warm and welcoming, curious and creative world that I did, nearly two years ago now. If you haven't yet, be sure to sign up for the Food Blog S'cool and Food Porn Watch, then with a couple of months of posts under your belt, BlogHer.

And I am so honored that you chose Soup's On as your very first event! And your soup sounds great, and the tortilla croutons are perfect, a great way to use up those last couple of tortillas drying out in the frig bin.

I'm updating the Soup's On post right now so look for your entry shortly. Thanks again!