Saturday 17 November 2007

Autumnal Lentil Soup

It’s been really cold and frosty here this week and I really wanted some comforting veg soup. I used some of my favourite autumn veg and it produced a lovely thick, creamy and flavoursome soup that really hit the spot.

I usually like to add beans to my soup to help thicken it, but this time I decided instead, to add lentils after pureeing it in order to add a bit more texture and interest. This worked really well and I liked how it added more body and substance to the soup without the need for bread. When adding the diced veg to the pot, I felt it still needed something more. I had a quick rummage around and decided to add an apple into the mix. This turned out to be a fantastic addition and gave the soup a wonderful sweetness (not dissimilar to butternut squash) which worked well with the thyme and complemented all the root veg so so well. I will definitely be adding more apples to my soup in future.

Autumnal Lentil Soup
Ingredients
1 large onion
1 small swede
1 large potato
3 large carrots
3 pints vegetable stock
1 large eating apple (I used Jonangold)
400g tin Puy lentils
Fresh thyme
Knob of butter
1 tbsp olive oil

Method
Put the butter and oil into a very large pan and heat gently so that the butter melts and begins to bubble.
Quickly peel and slice the onion and carrots and add to the pan along with lots of fresh thyme. Give it a quick stir and then cover the pan with a lid so that the onion sweat in the steam.
While they sweat, peel and dice the potato and onion, followed by the apple, but leave the skin on.
Add to the pan, stir to coat everything in the buttery juices and replace the lid and simmer for a further 10minutes.
Add the vegetable stock to the pan and stir well to ensure no veg is stuck to the base of the pan. Replace the lid and simmer for 30 minutes until the veg is soft.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before blending until smooth.
Drain the lentils from their can and add to the pureed soup. Return the soup to the heat and stir until the lentils are fully heated through.
Divide into bowls and enjoy.
Serves 6-8


Update: I have had people ask what a Swede is. A Swede is a large Brassica, a tubular root vegetable that is a bit like a turnip, but sweeter. Its other names include “Yellow Turnip” and “Rutabaga.”

6 comments:

דורית said...

Looks yummy and the weather here in Israel is getting colder. Please tell me- what is swede? I have never heard of it.
Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hi Katie!

This sounds lovely! I will be making it this week as I love this sort of soupm especially when it's so cold.

Gigi said...

The soup sounds delicious. I think it be great for Thanksgiving and I have bought everything for the soup except for swede. I have no idea what this is (swede)?

Katie said...

Hi,
A Swede is a large Brassica, a tubular root vegetable that is a bit like a large turnip, but sweeter. Its other names include “Yellow Turnip” and “Rutabaga.”
Hope this helps.

Emily said...

I didn't know what a Swede was either. Interesting..

Your soup looks quite festive. I like lentils, and feel that we should use them more often.

Gigi said...

Ah, Rutabaga! We definitely have those here. Off to the market I go!